#I know it’s early but I’ll update it as we learn more about the characters

[wwpbviiid]

So we have colors for Alice, Sam and Gwen, but what colors do y’all associate with Colin and Lena? (And Teddy if you have one for Teddy)

[rosella35]

Kaleb's Bad Day: Part I

*clears throat* It's been a while, G/T community!

I don't get as much time for writing anymore with my uni degree in its final years, but this is a one-shot I've been working on for an obnoxious amount of time now based on a prompt I got a while back: What if Kaleb, my borrower character, shrunk in class?

To set the scene since the last time I updated Borrowed Courage was in 2022 *sobs*, Kaleb and Brooke live in a world where the borrower race was discovered 10 years ago and unbeknownst to humankind, many borrowers use a drug called "Upsize" to temporarily grow to human size and blend into society. This one-shot is canon but probably won't be added to the main story for timing reasons. It's set roughly 2 months after Brooke first discovered Kaleb's secret identity as a borrower.

Part II will be up tomorrow - I hope you like!

Content warning: contains angst, swearing and nudity (not graphic).

****

“Alright. For the rest of today, I want you to work independently through the exercises in chapter two of your textbooks. I’ll be floating around if anyone has any burning questions.” Mr Bell instructed the class. From his seat at the back of the room, Kaleb gritted his teeth in frustration. On any other day, he would be more than happy to follow his teacher’s instructions; learning about human history was one of the things he’d enrolled in school for in the first place. From a young age, Kaleb had been fascinated with the way the giants that owned the world had came to be that way, while his kind— the borrowers— had spent their lives hidden away in the shadows. Today, though, he was only half paying attention. Kaleb ran his hands through his scruffy brown hair, finding it increasingly difficult to ignore the incessant pounding that seemed to reverberate all the way from his skull to his fingertips.  

Something was off. 

It wasn’t uncommon or him to be getting headaches from going consecutive days using Upsize, the drug that allowed him to attend human school at five feet nine instead of five inches tall. Even so, they hardly ever set in this early in the week, and were never an issue unless he was moving around too much. This one felt different. It had barely set in twenty minutes ago and was already driving him crazy. With a pained sigh, Kaleb tried to preoccupy himself with opening his textbook to the designated chapter. It felt weird to consider, since borrowers didn’t get sick nearly as often as humans did, but… maybe he was coming down with something.  

From the seat adjacent, Brooke Tucker glanced up from her own work to frown across at him. “Are you good?” She whispered, leaning forward with her hand on her chin. 

Kaleb immediately stiffened, surprised she’d even noticed his discomfort. Am I that obvious? “I don’t know.” He said uneasily. “My head is killing me.” 

The human girl’s brow creased in concern, an expression she rarely ever directed at him. If he weren’t so distracted by the pain, Kaleb probably would’ve been flattered. “Could be a migraine.” She suggested, before adding in a lower voice. “Do borrowers even get those?”

“Yes, we get migraines.” He whispered back, rolling his eyes. Since she’d discovered Kaleb’s true identity back in September, the human girl had made it her mission to find every opportunity to tease and mock him about being a borrower. Still, Kaleb couldn’t quite shake the feeling that something about this particular headache felt familiar. No way. That’s impossible. He dismissed, turning back to his textbook. “It’s probably nothing.” He assured her.

That was when he felt it.

BADUMP. 

A sudden wave of pain reverberated through his body, making him sit bolt upright in his desk like he’d just stepped on a live wire. It was a sensation Kaleb knew all-too-well, because he’d experienced it every afternoon after school for the past four years. 

His Upsize was about to wear off. 

“Shit.” He hissed, feeling the colour drain from his face. His mind reeled, struggling to make sense of why this was even happening. It was like one of his worst nightmares come to life. He should’ve had more time. He always had more time. Had Rodney messed up his dose? 

Kaleb ground his teeth together, forcing himself to focus. There was no time to dwell on the ‘why’. He had to get out of sight, and fast. 

BADUMP.

The room spun as he was hit with another rapid full-body ache, and Kaleb almost collapsed out of his chair. He felt himself start to shiver uncontrollably, the primal fear of being seen overwhelming his senses. “Kaleb, what the hell’s going on with you?” Brooke’s voice echoed somewhere beside him. “You’re making a scene.” 

Shit-shit-shit-shit-shit. Kaleb didn’t have to look up to know that the whole class was staring at him, a tingling feeling that sent his borrower instincts to flee into overdrive. He glanced across at Brooke, gazing unblinking into her judgemental grey-green eyes like they were his lifeline. In that moment, he made a decision.

“Why’re you staring at me like that, it’s creeping me—”

“Come with me.” Kaleb blurted out. 

That was all the warning Brooke got before he’d clamped his hand around her wrist and launched out of his seat, dragging her along behind him. 

“Sorry Mr Bell, we’ll be right back!” He announced in a rush of adrenalin, practically stumbling out the classroom door. Brooke, who had been too bewildered to react to their sudden exit, finally came to her senses as they entered the empty hallway. She ripped her hand out of his grasp, ears reddening in second-hand embarrassment from what had just gone down.

“What the fuck was that about?” She hissed, though her expression shifted to concern when he leaned heavily against the wall several paces in front of her, clutching his head. For the first time, Brooke noticed the raw, unsuppressed fear in his eyes.  

“I can explai—” Kaleb started, but broke off with a startled yelp when he felt the shrinking process finally kick in. He could only catch a glimpse of Brooke’s startled expression before the ground rushed towards him and he was swallowed up by his human clothes that were suddenly hundreds of sizes too big. Within the span of a few seconds, he found himself back at his original five-inch-tall height and buried beneath the course folds of his t-shirt, chest heaving from the lingering adrenalin and body frozen in terror as the reality of his situation dawned. 

Brooke, having witnessed the whole thing, did a double take. “What in the—” One second Kaleb had been standing there in front of her, and the next… Her eyes fell to his unoccupied pile of clothes, and she swore, realising what had just happened. 

“Kaleb? Brooke? Is everything okay with you two?” She froze at the sound of Mr Bell’s voice from inside the classroom, his footsteps growing closer and closer.

Panicking, Brooke scrambled to scoop up the bundle of Kaleb’s clothes, quickly locating the squirming figure buried within, and shoved them behind herself. The second he felt her fingers close around him and lift him blindly into the air, Kaleb’s heart leapt into his throat. He shivered involuntarily, the sensation of powerful human hands around his entire frame serving as a stark reminder of how little control he had over their current situation. All he could do was make himself as small as possible in her grip and trust Brooke to handle things with the teacher. 

“Y-Yep!” The human girl said, turning around just as the Mr Bell poked his head out the classroom door. Her hands tightened protectively around Kaleb’s smaller form under the clothes, feeling his tiny heartbeat flutter like a bird’s against her fingers. She cleared her throat awkwardly in attempt to compose herself. “I mean… actually, Kaleb wasn’t feeling well. He went ahead to the nurses office, but would you mind if I go too? J-Just to make sure he’s okay.” 

The teacher gave her a strange look, and Brooke held her breath, waiting for him to notice the bundle of Kaleb’s clothes behind her back and effectively blow her cover story. After a moment though, Mr Bell’s expression softened to concern. “Oh, of course you can.” He said with a nod. “I hope he feels better soon. Don’t worry about missing the rest of the lesson. I’ll email the two of you supplementary work later today.”

She managed a strained smile. “Thank you.” 

The moment he disappeared back inside, Brooke took off down the hall, her mind stalling on what she was supposed to do next. There was no way she could actually take Kaleb to the nurses office without exposing him, and it would be too suspicious if she just up and left the building in the middle of class. She cursed. There was really only one place that would give the two of them some privacy, which made her uncomfortable even thinking about, but Brooke didn’t really have a choice. 

Resigned to her fate, she made beeline for the girl’s bathroom. 

Locking herself inside a cubicle, Brooke let out a relieved sigh. She sat down heavily on the closed seat of the toilet, turning her attention to the bundle of Kaleb’s human clothes in her lap and the tiny muffled voice she could suddenly hear through the fabric. “Can’t breathe—!”

Eyes widening, Brooke loosened her hold around the clothes. It seemed silly now, but in her haste to get to somewhere private, she’d almost forgotten that Kaleb had been with her the whole time, buried underneath the layers of denim and cotton.  She was about to reach in to try and pull him out, when she realised that somewhere amongst the folded material, Kaleb was not only borrower-sized but naked. Face heating up at the thought, Brooke sat back against the toilet and cleared her throat awkwardly. “Okay, you’re safe to come out. We’re alone.” 

Sure enough, it wasn’t long after she’d spoken that Brooke noticed a miniature head of scruffy brown hair poking out through the of one of the t-shirt sleeves as Kaleb revealed himself at last. He blinked rapidly in the harsh fluorescent lighting, scrambling to cover himself with his blanket-like clothes. Without his usual shirt and tan jacket combo, he seemed almost smaller than usual, his bare shoulders slim and pale and his breaths short and fast. Fragile was the first word that came to mind. Intuitively, Brooke knew that compared to humans, borrowers really were fragile and vulnerable, but those were never words she’d associated with Kaleb. Now though, he wasn’t even trying to hide the fact that his entire body trembled like a scared animal in her hands. 

That didn’t stop her from glaring daggers at him. “What the fuck, Kaleb!” She hissed. “You almost gave me a heart attack!” 

Kaleb flinched instinctively, his hazel eyes shooting up to meet her now much larger grey ones. Brooke’s angry expression faltered. Shit. He looked terrified— even more so than the time she’d found him on the apartment roof all those weeks ago. She swallowed, turning away uncomfortably. That look in his eyes… It didn’t suit him at all. 

The two of them didn’t speak for several minutes, awkward silence permeating the cubicle. Kaleb took that time to try and compose himself, his full-body tremors slowly dissipating as he tried to calm his pounding heart. It wasn’t easy to do by any means, but he appreciated Brooke’s patience. Finally finding his voice, he tilted his head to meet her eyes. 

“S-Sorry.” He said, holding the material of his shirt around his nude frame with white knuckled hands. He licked his dry lips. “No one saw… did they?”

Brooke sighed, making a conscious effort to shift to a gentler tone of voice. Now probably wasn’t the time for their usual teasing banter. “No.” She reassured him. “Just me.” 

Kaleb visibly relaxed at that, minuscule shoulders slumping under the thick material of his shirt. “Thank god.” He breathed, almost too quiet for her to make out. So he hadn’t been seen by anyone else in the class. Just knowing that was enough to ease a significant portion of his built up anxiety. With a clearer head, Kaleb finally paused to take in his surroundings, and his jaw immediately dropped when he caught sight of a toilet roll as long as he was tall. “What the—” He exclaimed, looking up at her with an aghast expression. “Is this the girl’s bathroom—?!” 

Brooke held back a snort as his tiny face turned beet red with embarrassment. Much more like the Kaleb she knew. “You didn’t exactly give me much time to think of a better place to go.” She pointed out, sitting up straighter on the toilet seat. “And while we’re on that topic, what the hell happened to you? Isn’t your wonder drug supposed to last the whole day?” 

Kaleb flinched at that and peered down at his smaller form, pathetically dwarfed by the clothes that had fit him perfectly less than ten minutes ago. Already, without the disguise that was his human height, he was starting to feel like the fraud he was; just another borrower trying and failing to carry himself with the same level of confidence and liberty as a human. “I-I don’t know.” He mumbled. “Maybe my uncle messed up the dose.” He wrapped the the fabric of his shirt sleeve tighter around himself, feeling more exposed than ever. “This has never happened to me before.” 

“Clearly.” Brooke said. “If I hadn’t been there to cover for you, you’d’ve been screwed for sure.” 

She felt him shiver at that fact, almost making her regret her choice of words. “You’re right.” Kaleb looked up at her again, his expression earnest. “Thank you, Brooke. Really.” 

Brooke blinked. That was unexpected. She shifted in her seat and looked away, hoping he wouldn’t notice her blush. With their current size difference, that was unlikely. “I-It’s fine.” She said. “So, uh… what now, then? Do you have any more Upsize you can take?” 

Kaleb pursed his lips. “I don’t keep any spare pills at school.” He admitted quietly, shuddering again despite the course fabric around him. “With Upsize, you need to wait at least an hour after shrinking before you can take another dose. It’s supposed to give the medicine a chance to leave your system, kind of like a cool-down period.”

“Right, of course that’s a thing.” Brooke sighed. She tried racking her brain for an alternative solution. “Well then, can someone come get you? Surely Evie would. I bet she’s bored out of her mind back at the apartment without having me to spy on.” 

Instead of laughing at her poor attempt at a joke, Kaleb looked horrified. “I can’t just leave early!” He exclaimed. “I’ll miss maths next period. Mrs Crowley said she’d be giving out final exam tips today!” 

Brooke couldn’t believe what she was hearing. “You’re kidding.” She started, holding back a disbelieving laugh. Looking closer at his tiny, pleading features though, her smile faded. “You’re not kidding.” She deadpanned, groaning. “Come on, Kaleb. How the fuck are you supposed to come to class like this? You don’t even have any clothes!”

Kaleb’s cheeks heated up and he pulled the shirt sleeve a little tighter around himself as he was reminded of his current nudity. “I can get clothes.” He insisted, his usual confident demeanour returning in full force. “I have a spare set in my locker. Climbing gear, too.” 

Brooke would have face palmed herself if her hands weren’t still cupped around his tiny frame. She regarded him quizzically. “Well that’s great, but isn’t your whole thing supposed to be not getting seen by the rest of the class?” 

Kaleb shook his head. “I don’t have to actually come to class. You could just, y’know, let me off into the air vent and I can listen in from there.” He suggested, giving her a clumsy shrug from amongst the bundle of clothes. 

Brooke just stared down at him, completely lost for words. “You’re crazy.” She muttered. “You’re actually fucking crazy. You literally almost shrunk in front of our whole class, and now you want me to just let you go off into the walls so you can catch some stupid exam tips?” 

“Brooke.” 

She didn’t hear him, her voice rising in annoyance as she continued. “And then what? Am I supposed to just stay back and look for you after class, like that’s totally not suspicious at all?!”

“Brooke.” 

“Ugh!” She wanted so badly to bang her head into the cubicle door. “Why do I even get myself into these situations? I swear, ever since I found out about you and your stupid little secret, my life’s been a fucking disaster—!”

“BROOKE!”

She broke off with a start at his exclamation, caught off guard by how loud he’d managed to sound despite his obvious disadvantage in size. Brooke bit her lip, breathing heavily through her nose. She almost jumped when she felt a slight pressure on her thumb. Kaleb had reached out to touch it with his much smaller hand, stroking the digit in attempt to reassure her. “You good?” He asked. 

“Y-Yeah.” Brooke replied weakly, her mouth dry. She didn’t want to say anything but the feeling of his tiny hand on her finger felt so… weird. Kaleb almost never initiated physical contact with her when he was borrower-sized.  

He nodded, meeting her eyes again. “I’m sorry.” He said with obvious embarrassment. “I got a bit ahead of myself there. I guess I just thought you’d want me out of your hair so you could get back to class. If you can help me to my locker, I’ll call Evie to come pick me up, and I’ll just email Mrs Crowley about the exam later.” 

Brooke sighed at his words, a much simpler solution coming to mind that she was probably crazy for even suggesting. “Or you could just come with me.” She pointed out, the corner of her mouth twitching in amusement when he blinked up at her. “What? Did you forget we have the same maths class?” 

“Come… with you?” Kaleb repeated, looking thoroughly unconvinced. “As in, on your person? Where would I even go—?” His broke off, eyes trailing upwards to the chest pocket of her oversized denim jacket at the same time hers did. His face lost several shades of colour, and he shook his head firmly, despite knowing deep down that he might not have any say in the matter. “No way. No way. I’m not gonna sit in your pocket all day like some house pet, Brooke! That’s just… that’s just embarrassing!” 

The human girl smirked down at him. “Well, would it be any more embarrassing than being tiny and naked in the girl’s bathroom?” Her hand inched up to ruffle his hair teasingly. “I mean, unless you’re secretly a pervert?” 

Kaleb swiped at her already retreating digit. “I’m not a pervert!” He snapped, pointing his own diminutive finger up at her accusingly. “You brought me here, not the other way around!”  

“Relax, I’m just messing with you.” She giggled. “You’re always so easy to work up like this.” 

Kaleb bristled. “Yeah, well can you blame me? When I’m like this, there’s five extra feet of you to piss me off!”

“Fair point.” Brooke smirked. “So, what’s it gonna be then?” Her hands edged closer around him, as she impatiently tapped her foot against the tiles. “I can’t just keep sitting on the toilet for the rest of the day.”

Kaleb sighed, turning his gaze downwards in defeat. He had to admit she was right about that. Stalling was only prolonging what they both knew had to come next. “Fine. I’ll come to class with you.” He hesitated. “Just… can we please get my clothes first?” 

Brooke looked at him, shock evident on her face. Did he really believe that she wouldn’t let him get changed? It was humbling to think that with Kaleb like this, without his bag or climbing gear, he was essentially putting his life and his autonomy in her hands. Just knowing that made Brooke soften her voice ever so slightly. “Um, yeah, of course. There’s no way you’re coming with me in the nude. That’s fucked up.” 

Kaleb breathed a sigh of relief at her reassurance, offering a grateful smile. “Okay… Well, in the meantime, could you grab me a piece of toilet paper? To cover up, I mean.” 

Brooke blinked, glancing across at the roll beside her. Hesitantly, she tore off a small strip of toilet paper between her thumb and index finger and handed it down to him. Kaleb took it, ducking under his sleeve for a moment to tie it around his waist like a towel. He looked down at his handiwork, rubbing the back of his neck. “It’ll do.” He muttered to himself, letting the oversized shirt sleeve fall away so that he was standing at his full five-inch height in her cupped hands.  

Despite herself, Brooke almost did a double take when she saw his bare chest for the first time. There was no denying it; Kaleb was ripped. The thought had never occurred to her, but considering his active lifestyle, she really shouldn’t have been as caught off guard as she was. A little more of a tan, and he could’ve belonged in a body building magazine. She tore her eyes away before he caught her staring, but that didn’t stop her cheeks from heating up. 

She coughed. “Right. Ready to go then?”

“That depends.” Kaleb smirked knowingly. There was really no way he could have missed a stare that size. He took a bold step forward in her cupped hands and flexed his muscles tauntingly. “Did you want a closer look?” 

“W-What?”

“Who’s the pervert now, huh?” He teased, throwing the label right back at her.

“Shut up!” In that embarrassment-riddled moment, Brooke reacted in the only way she could think of. She poked Kaleb harshly in the chest. Like always, he staggered backwards with a yelp at the impact, but this time neither of them had taken proper stock of their surroundings. As if in slow-motion, Kaleb tripped over the folded clothing behind him, simultaneously jostling free the poorly secured knot holding up his toilet paper toga. All hope of modesty gone, he fell flat on his back with his legs gracelessly splayed… within full view of the human girl holding him. 

The two of them stared at each other in silent shock for several seconds, and Brooke wished she could bleach her eyeballs. Instead, she opted for the next best course of action.

“AHHHH!”

[feministsouthpark]

South Park Filler Guide - Season 12

Link for Seasons  1  2  3  4  5  6  7  8  9  10 11

You know the drill by now, I’ll judge whether an episode has all the qualities of a canon one, or is it just shameless filler. S12E1 Tonsil Trouble is CANON

Strong canon for Eric giving Kyle AIDS, somehow the one thing still on Kyle's mind even 40 years later.

S12E2 Britney's New Look is FILLER

The references are dated, its message is timeless, the events are purely filler. I have a question though, why isn't Kenny here? Butters takes his place for the episode, is this some lost season 6 episode? S12E3 Major Boobage is FILLER

Eric learns about jew experience, not that it lasts. I'll be writing that sentence again a lot, won't I? S12E4 Canada on Strike is FILLER

Kyle says something about the internet that was accurate in 2008. Terrance and Phillip get major roles, and you know how I feeller about that. I have a question though, why isn't Kenny here? Butters takes his place for the episode, is this some lost season 6 episode? S12E5 Eek, A Penis! is CANON

Janet has a permanent sex change. I'm happy to include Cartminez who is the most positive portrayal of the Eric character you'll get in the canon-only viewing experience. S12E6 Over Logging is FILLER

The internet gets unplugged and then replugged. Kenny still doesn't get dialog. S12E7 Super Fun Time is FILLER

Yes, Kenny gets a tiny role in this one, but Butters takes the major plot, it really seems like Trey and Matt enjoy the 3 boys with Butters dynamic a lot more than the 3 boys with Kenny dynamic. The only Kenny episode so far had him on a saparate plot from the others. Stan and Wendy get some nice relationship content, however other than that, this one doesn't build the lore. S12E8 The China Problem is CANON

The Free Hat episode did pretty much everything this episode did, except the random chinese storyline. However a reference later made sure I have to include this one. S12E9 Breast Cancer Show Ever is CANON

We get an update on a few things. Goth kids are still friends with Stan. Check. Stan and Eric friendship explored along with Wendy and Stan relationship (since we skipped Super Fun Time anyway), Eric and Wendy are established as rivals for later episodes, and Principal Victoria gets backstory. S12E10 Pandemic is CANON

It gives Craig proper characterization, but if you gave him your attention, you already know him. Basically an early season-type four boys adventure with him included. This is the episode that references to The China Problem, and would you believe it, we include this one also just for another throwback line. Also the title works here a lot better than in season 24. S12E11 Pandemic 2: The Startling is CANON

More of the same, but with Randy horror side plot. S12E12 About Last Night... is LORE

For the story of how Barack Obama became president, something not closely connected with the main storylines, but world-building nonetheless. S12E13 Elementary School Musical is CANON

This is the episode that references to The China Problem, and we include this one for introducing mainstay character Scott Malkinson. S12E14 The Ungroundable is CANON

For introducing the Vampire kids. With this season we got a lot of canon-by-technicality territory, wonder if it keeps happening?

SPOILER-FREE RUNDOWN

Again, CANON means you should watch it, FILLER means you can skip it, LORE is somewhere in-between, any episode with the LORE label will have an explanation that helps you decide if you should include it or not. S12E1 Tonsil Trouble is CANON S12E2 Britney's New Look is FILLER S12E3 Major Boobage is FILLER S12E4 Canada on Strike is FILLER S12E5 Eek, A Penis! is CANON S12E6 Over Logging is FILLER S12E7 Super Fun Time is FILLER S12E8 The China Problem is CANON S12E9 Breast Cancer Show Ever is CANON S12E10 Pandemic is CANON S12E11 Pandemic 2: The Startling is CANON S12E12 About Last Night... is LORE* S12E13 Elementary School Musical is CANON S12E14 The Ungroundable is CANON *In-series explanation of how Barack became president.

CANON counter:

S1: 9 out of 13  S2: 3 out of 18  S3: 6 out of 18  S4: 10 out of 17  S5: 8 out of 14  S6: 11 out of 17 S7: 6 out of 15 S8: 4 out of 14 S9: 8 out of 14 S10: 4 out of 14 S11: 4 out of 14 S12: 8 out of 14

Overall: 81 out of 182

[rowanul-tyr]

So. Dawntrail.

I finished the 7.0 MSQ roughly a week ago, during the early access period, and overall I had a great time with it! My thoughts on the expansion as a whole have been marinating in the brain pot since then, and I wanted to touch on some of those thoughts and why I think this has been such a great expansion so far, at least story-wise. All under a cut for spoilers, and I’ll honestly be talking mostly vaguely about plot stuff anyway. And I’ll mark anything specific that is spoilers, and dividing things zone by zone.

Anyway.

First and foremost, since I feel like this will help put my overall opinion into perspective, is my ranking of expansions so far.

1: SHB will forever be king to me in a ton of ways; part of it is this was the expansion I started with, but I also just love the story it tells so much and even if I have little gripes, they’re all so minor that it doesn’t really matter

2: a tie between HW and EW, actually--both are excellent, and while I have some issues with parts of them, the positives for the most part outweigh my issues

3: another tie between STB and ARR--I think both of these are good, but have some issues that really can’t be ignored. And they’re only at the bottom because that’s how lists work.

DT is not perfect in my eyes (not by a long shot), but it is giving SHB a true run for its money in terms of how much I liked it. Like I said initially, I don’t think it’s without its problems (no expansion is, even SHB no matter how much I love it), but overall there is just SO much good stuff here that I am 100% willing to forgive it.

Before I get into the details, I want to say: making it clear from the pre-order stuff and Viper and all that this is the FF9 expansion really is important. FF9 begins fairly bright and cheery and its aesthetic lends itself well to hiding what subject matter it tackles, but then it eventually starts dealing with a LOT of heavy topics--and Dawntrail is very much living up to that in my book.

Expansion Start

Going into this expansion I really had no idea what to expect. I admit that the 6.X patch cycle really threw me for a loop once DT was announced, and it felt kind of pointless to be doing so much with the void? I was like, “Why are we spending so much time on this, when we should be looking at things that are relevant to Dawntrail??” because none of it made sense to me.

One of the issues I had with STB for a long time was Lyse. Don’t worry, I’ve come around on her, but it took a while. The biggest issue I had was that the devs tried to take an existing character and turn her into something other than what we knew, and it threw me entirely. I think they learned the lesson from that, which is why the focus is on Wuk Lamat, a new character, and on Krile, an older character we know so that we feel more invested in what is to come.

Another aspect of STB that kind of threw me off was…how little focus it got after the HW story ended? Like we get two patches worth fo story to lead into it, and I 100% think the Ga Bu stuff is important, and obviously the Warriors of Darkness story is important to set up part of SHB, but…everything to set up STB felt…not there? And we meet Lyse properly during 3.55/3.56, just like Wuk Lamat. We don’t have time to get to know her as this new person before we’re dropped into STB proper. And that didn’t help me when it came to bonding with Lyse--it took until the Lakshmi trial before I realized how I was supposed to feel about her my second time playing through Stormblood.

Wuk Lamat won me over really fast, thankfully--she has a certain kind of charm to her that endeared me to her pretty quickly (she’s very Sora from Kingdom Hearts coded in my eyes), and I was quietly interested to see what would happen with her character arc going forward. To be frank, I was more excited about how much better my character looked in game than in the updated benchmark than what little of the story we knew! I also was more invested in Krile than anything else story-wise; she’s always been a low key fave of the Scions for me so it’s nice to see her be much more involved in MSQ this time around.

But then we hit the first city and actually got into the story. Tulliyollal is such a lovely city, and its inn room was the first to make me go “wow” since the Pendants (since the Baldesion Annex was fun but still feels way too cluttered for me). I loved meeting Gulool Ja Ja, and his vibe as a character was excellent. I was surprised by what the rite of succession was shaping up to be, but once you see the Saga monuments and hear the story behind them it pretty quickly clicks as to what the Dawnservant wants the claimants to the throne to learn about during the rite. That was when I rsaw the mentor-type role my character would play, and once I knew what role the WOL plays for Wuk Lamat and in at least the start of Dawntrail’s story, I was in. I was determined to embrace that role in a way I had issues doing when I played through STB initially for Lyse.

One other thing: I was super surprised by Zoraal Ja being the one Wuk Lamat was prioritizing as a threat, and that he was the one who couldn’t be allowed to be Dawnservant. I guess I’d been anticipating the aloof/stern but decent older brother from him based on what I assumed was one of his lines in the launch trailer, so that was a fun surprise.

Zones 1 and 2, first visit

Urqopacha absolutely blows Kozama’uka out of the water for me, but I think both zones do a pretty good job with their first of two feats.

I started with Kozama’uka. The HanuHanu felt straightforward enough, and their feat set Koana up really nicely for what exactly his views are. I was glad to hear that he and Wuk Lamat were on friendly terms right before we left Tulliyollal to start the rite. One of my first thoughts when seeing how he and Wuk Lamat both handled the feat was, “He’s not going to win the rite, but I want him to either be advisor to his sister or for her to invite him to rule together.”

Bakool Ja Ja was fine as the zone’s antagonist, the writers did a good job of setting up his rivalry with Wuk Lamat in the intro so I wasn’t surprised by him trying to cheat his way through things. Wuk Evu was also…um. Not my favorite. I wasn’t super into the “behead me for being rude to the Third Promise” joke being reused over and over and over again…but maybe that’s just me.

As I said, Urqopacha was by far my favorite intro zone for the views, the music, and the overall aetshetic. I really love FF10, so getting to spend so much time with the Pelupelu was excellent. I also loved the zone music and this part really was what got me hooked on this expansion. Working with Mablu to make trades for the saddle was such a great showcase of what exactly the player character is to Wuk Lamat, and really solidified how much I enjoyed her. She is SUCH an orange cat (meaning she is “no thoughts, head empty” in a lot of ways but also just impulsive and can be unpredictable) and I mean that in a very kind way.

This was also where we got to see so much more of what Zoraal Ja’s whole deal was, and once I spent more time hearing him speak I totally understood why Wuk Lamat didn’t want him to be Dawnservant. Also, Mablu is the best and my roommate/best friend who is the biggest FF10/FF10-2 fan I know cried when she saw Tobli (since he’s from 10-2 himself) and the music is so good. So yeah, 10/10 zone.

Zones 1 and 2, second visit, and First Trial

Jumping ahead a teeny bit (since you go back to the capital between these visits). I liked this second set of feats overall! It felt like we were finally making some good progress with Krile’s goals to find out more about the city of gold in addition to moving forward with the rite. I also liked jumping right back into zones we’d already seen instead of waiting for 5+ levels to go back.

I liked how the Moblin feat incorporated the Elezen goldsmith from the boat, and seeing once again just how charismatic and magnetic a personality Wuk Lamat is. Her ability to show so much empathy for people is absolutely her biggest strength, and her desire to understand things--something those helping her with the rite have helped her discover--really start to shine, at least for me. That’s what makes her such a great fit for Dawnservant.

Koana also really was a star in this zone, and I really adore his character archetype and the love he so clearly has for his sister. Working together to rescue Wuk Lamat after Bakool Ja Ja snatches her was a nice change of pace from what we’d had so far from the rite, and that was when my initial impression of what would happen with Koana gained a bit more strength behind it. I was about 90% certain at this point that he wouldn’t win, but would stay at Wuk Lamat’s side to help guide her when she needed it.

I LOVED seeing the Yok Huy and honestly just getting to go back to Urqopacha was a delight. It felt like SO much progress was being made for both the rite and Krile’s goals, and the dungeon was excellent. No notes.

As a quick aside, though, I loved that we got to hear the Yok Huy’s take on death--that those who have died will always live in our memory, and so long as that memory remains, they are not truly gone. I loved this because it fits so well with the lore I have for Rowan regarding the way the Echo manifests for him, and how he cherishes the memories of people he’s lost but has come to move on with his own life. It just…is a very good thing to nail home some of FF14’s broader conversations about remembering and honoring the past, but still turning your focus to the future.

I have gripes with the Valigarmanda trial (I wiped twice on Duty Support :( ) but I appreciated that Wuk Lamat, Koana, and Zoraal Ja ALL came together for the good of their nation. I also liked that Zoraal Ja was cooperating because people dying because Valigarmanda would be bad for his own goals in the end if he won the rite, and also it’s good to see more of him before Things Happen (™).

Zone 3

Basically from here on out I loved every zone.

As a person who loves food and specifically enjoys making food for others, the feat in Iq Braax was a delight. Given that we find out the clan’s leader is Wuk Lamat’s father, it is VERY fitting that the people of the village are much more on the nose about not directly helping the team-up between Wuk Lamat and Koana. In addition, the cooperation between the Second and Third Promises was very clearly there to show 1. how well they work together and 2. what it is that Koana still has to learn, which he very much does by the end of the zone.

I’ve seen in the Disc Horse (™) around DT that Bakool Ja Ja turn in the second half of the zone was weird, but I don’t think it was, not really. By the end of the instanced duty after the X’braal feat, he’s a humiliated mess. Seeing the added context for why the Mamool Ja are the way that they are in the second half of the zone and learning the true cost of the blessed siblings among them, you actually have a reason to offer empathy to a person whose whole life has probably not been great. Wuk Lamat putting aside her anger with Bakool Ja Ja to truly help his people is yet more proof of the things that truly make her a good leader and why she really is the best choice to be Gulool Ja Ja’s heir.

The end of Koana’s arc here is excellent. Wuk Lamat reaching out to him when she needs help finding a way for the Mamool Ja to find ways to thrive outside of the blessed siblings--knowing that he can succeed in an area that is not her forte--is yet MORE proof of her ability to see the best in others and understand their worth. And Koana is genuinely a great brother and partner to work with for her, as his generally calm demeanor evens out her boisterousness very well. The instanced fight against the shade of their father where both groups come together was EXCELLENT.

The end of the Skydeep Cenote and actually finding the city of gold is such a good way to close out the first half of the expansion. We’re left on more intrigue for what is to come in the second half of the expansion, and this was when I got the deep sense of “Okay. But when is the other shoe gonna drop”.

Midpoint, and thoughts on the first half of the expansion

I was so happy with Wuk Lamat’s coronation, and how she outright asked Koana to join her on the throne. Finding a way to truly be their father’s successors by embodying both reason and resolve works out so well in Tural’s favor in the end.

I think the only somewhat negative thing I can say here is that…I was totally thrown by the song that played when the stone monument was revealed, haha. The song is fine on its own, but it was SO weird for me to hear that it did actually kinda take me out of it. But otherwise this turning point for the latter half of the expansion was good. I wasn’t sure how to feel about MSQ going forward, though, because I was like “Wait, where’s the rest of it?”

In terms of my overall thoughts on the first half of this expansion… It’s very good as a way to decompress following the end of the Hydaelyn and Zodiark saga that ended in 6.0, and even a good way to relax after everything that happens with Zero and the void.

I know there’s a ton of Disc Horse (™) around this expansion, particularly about Wuk Lamat and the rite and how “slow” the first part is. I have two things that come to mind about it all: this isn’t the Shadowbringers or Endwalker of this next story arc. This is the Realm Reborn to the next arc. Things are definitely going to be a bit slow.

In addition…the WOL may not be the protagonist of this particular part of the story, but that doesn’t mean the first half and dealing with the rite is worthless? The WOL knows by now that they were Azem, the Traveler. Remember, the Traveler part of that convocation title? My BFF/roommate Sarria put it best:

“DT really feels like it's back to our "roots" and I mean like AZEM roots. Being The Traveler, visiting new places and meeting new people and learning about places outside of our known bubble. Listening to people's stories and desires and then being asked to help specifically *because* we listened to and learned from the locals. And I for one really really am loving it. The story doesn't have to be about us - just being there means we have a role. (Also the first half of DT isn't supposed to be about us anyway.)”

I find it so funny that people have such a problem with it--and I won’t lie, I do agree that some of it had slow pacing. But like…I don’t know, this really feels in line for what Azem would do. We are Azem now, we have the crystal and everything. We’re not known in this continent because it’s only been 70 years since the world we know made contact with it--to the point of the guy credited with discovering this “New World” IS STILL ALIVE. There is ample reason why your character is not the focus of the first half of the expansion, and it’s so disheartening to see people just…not get that?

It could be that my overall excitement to explore the new zones laid out before us led me to be much more forgiving of this section, but getting to know the people of Yok Tural was such a treat. I can’t wait for NG+ to come around for 7.0 so I get to explore all of this again.

Okay, back to going zone by zone.

Zone 4, part 1

So as someone who knows the Southwest US fairly well this zone was excellent, I loved the vibes. The overworld music is great.

I will say outright here that I’ve kind of been an Erenville disliker since his introduction in EW. He’s been overhyped for a character who up to DT basically had no personality in my eyes, so I was apprehensive about how this zone would go with him as our only companion. But, credit where it’s due, the writers actually got me to come around on him a little with the background we finally get for him. Not entirely, I still have issues with him, but he’s now more well-rounded.

Seeing the railyard workers actually made me cry, specifically seeing Not!Magnus’ wife. I’m so glad that 1: they were included and 2: explicitly shown to be the exact same as the people we know from the first. My roommate Sarria and I joked several times that this was SHB/Trolleys 2 and it was such a delight getting to laugh about it.

The end point for this visit to the zone was excellent. The dread had been building for me the whole time, knowing that something was around the corner, but no idea what. So the dome appearing and then the aftermath in Tulliyollal was anticipated, but about as brutal as I was expecting.

Tulliyollal revisit and Zone 4, part 2

The destruction of Tulliyollal and trying to aid those we could was done well, to me anyway. The devs handled that sort of thing pretty well in EW, so was glad to see it done again just as well.

Then comes the “cat”valry as I’d like to call it. Honestly, the moment I heard G’raha’s voice and heard Eternal Wind, it was like I could finally breathe. I think that’s the point of him and Y’shtola showing up to give you help for the rest of the expansion--they give a sense of release to all the tension and anxiety players might feel after the attack on Tulliyollal. A mini version of what the low-stakes rite of succession is to the story overall. You have to have a release for tension before building it up again, because building tension with no release just doesn’t work.

The truth of what the golden door is threw me for a loop, because I was NOT expecting it. I imagine it’s what people felt when the SHB launch trailer dropped and the truth about Hydaelyn and Zodiark was given--you’re so shocked that it’s a bit much to process. But I liked the revelations about the golden city and Krile and everything.

The revisit to Shaaloani was a delight, and deciding to blow up the train was exactly the kind of crazy I’d expect from the Source version of the trolley guys from Twine. The song that played during the coronation came back and it felt just as cheesy as before, but I think I’d accepted it by this point? I just let it happen even though it doesn’t really work for me.

And the Vanguard dungeon is SO good. I loved the music--honestly Soken popped off this expansion for the most part.

Zone 5/Second Trial

So I love the aesthetic of this zone in general--thank you for giving us FF10’s Thunder Plains properly this time!!!--but there was a zone where I ever felt like the story was loosing me, it was this one. I wasn’t sure what to make of the time bubble nor the regulators, so it took some time for Heritage Found to find its footing for me.

Sphene also was slightly unsettling, in a way? It was hard to put my finger on whether she was sympathetic or playing you, which I guess is the point.

Solution Nine kind of just…added to my sense of confusion. I was a bit lost on it all, and trying to wrap my head around it. It is also way to big and spread out for my tastes…but oh well.

With all the talk of souls, though, I finally understood why all the Void stuff with Zero in the 6.X patches was actually good to spend so much time with, since it was basically a primer for ALL of this stuff in the latter half of DT. So once NG+ is here for Dawntrail, I may actually start with 6.1 and see how it all flows together.

What finally got me back on loving the plot again was seeing baby Gulool Ja and Otis in the other half of the map, where the ruins of Alexandria are. I haven’t even played FF9 myself, only watched a very abridged playthrough, but the way I instantly knew who Otis was a stand in for made me feel so warm and comforted. Steiner is just so goofy and endearing, and Otis is exactly like him.

Was not surprised by Zoraal Ja making his move, but the cutscene for the defense of Tulliyollal was very good. I was surprised by Sphene both in and out of Solution Nine for that instanced duty, and I think here is where I really started to see the parallels between what I know of FF9 and DT. Sphene is Wuk Lamat’s mirror, at least in a way--loving and compassionate and charismatic (because I’d come to like her quite a bit by the point she outright says she was playing you). She exemplifies the extreme end of Wuk Lamat’s desire for peace, and the need to protect and preserve her people.

The fight against Zoraal Ja is a satisfying one. I am not the person to ask to talk about fight design or anything so will leave that to others. But I thought it was good.

Also liked the revelations after the trial, where Sphene turns on you for real. It did feel like downing Vauthry just to have Emet steal the Exarch again, though maybe not in the same way. Similar dramatic stakes, I guess I’m trying to say.

Zone 6, and the Finale

This zone will always have an interesting flavor to it for me, since I use the Living Memory title for personal WOL lore reasons. But the zone is, I think, such an excellent one for what the expansion as a whole is trying to say.

As I mentioned at the beginning, despite its cheerful colors and friendly looking character design, FF9 is a darker story. It deals with death and the existential. The perfect word to sum up FF9, from what I know, is bittersweet. And I think this zone--and in a way both zones and the city that comprise Alexandria--PERFECTLY handles that bittersweet feeling.

The weather is Reminiscence, bathing everything in this beautiful golden color. It’s full of areas referencing FF9--I recognized Alexandria and the Iifa Tree, but each zone is a call back to 9. The music is this soft, comforting piece that just triggered my nostalgia for a game I haven’t even played. Seeing Otis in his prime again, the tour of the Gardens with Cachuia, letting Krile meet her parents and learn her real name--it’s all so bittersweet.

Every time you turn off a terminal, you get that message of how nothing will go back to what it was. And the part of Living Memory that you shut down is then forever less colorful and lively, and there’s no music (at least when you’re there during this part of MSQ). You’re left with silence. We can always remember it like it was before (or use NG+ to bring it back if you were a dummy like me and didn't gpose there before it went away), but it won't ever be the same now.

I took my time in Living Memory before moving from area to area, and did all aether currents and quests as I could/they became available which only happened AFTER the zone was gone for the quests. So I was doing all this in silence. Left alone with my thoughts on it all and trying to understand what the point was.

Sphene is clinging so much to that nostalgia for a time gone by because of her programming, and it’s sad to have to end it. But to me, she is eerily similar to Emet-Selch: she was clinging to the memory of the dead, desperate to bring them back and keep them alive. But in the end, it was only an imitation that would lead to untold amounts of suffering to others.

All of Living Memory reminded me so much of Amaurot. Sphene letting the Endless explore as they pleased was I think a much kinder version of Emet's magic working on Amaurot, but I couldn't help but see the similarity there.

I did cry in this zone, during G’raha’s talk with the player in the gondola and all the interactions Krile had with her parents. And it’s just…sad. You might feel awful about destroying the Endless once you understand them and their ways, but in the end…they’re only memories of people who died long ago. Their lives continuing are coming at the cost of the future for everyone on the Source and the reflections. It just can’t be sustained as Sphene’s realm continues to grow and more and more is needed to keep things running.

Sphene wanted the best for her people, going as far as she did for them. And I like that she is clearly kind but does a lot of bad things out of love for her people, and the desire to preserve them. But in the end, she had to accept why death is an important part of life.

I loved the Alexandria dungeon, and the trial was excellent. I will say that the intermission was maybe a bit long, but I still liked it tremendously. I’m excited to see what the relic has in store for us, and where the new arc of the story will take us.

Overall thoughts

DT has two very distinct sections, and there are parts I think could be refined to maybe make things go smoother overall, but honestly? I am totally willing to overlook those things because I enjoyed myself as much as I did.

DT, to me, managed to deliver on the summer vacation aspect that was so heavily advertised while also keeping with FF14’s larger ideas about hope persisting in even the hardest of times, and why the connections between people are so important. It also continues to show why it is not just important but also good to remember the past fondly, but it is just as important to keep moving forward in the best interests of all people.

I said it in the part about Living Memory and the finale for DT, but Sphene is very similar to Emet-Selch, and while some of the Heritage Found stuff lost me for a bit, the story did hit its mark where it needed to. The ending zone was not what the Tempest or Ultima Thule were, and I’m glad that it’s not. I’m sad that I’ll have to replay on an alt or when we get DT NG+ to take the pictures I wanted there, but that’s the point. You’re supposed to feel a longing for something that you can never truly get back, and that’s one of the best parts about it. You’re left with this bittersweet feeling as you let go of the past, and these people who are long gone.

DT drove home Venat’s point from EW even more for me. To use Ardbert’s words from SHB, “Joy and sorrow walk hand in hand.” There is joy and sorrow all over the place in Tural’s story and in its peoples, and I loved how every minute went even if sometimes it did feel a bit slow. But not everything needs to be so fast paced, either.

And even in the slower-paced parts, the WOL is really embodying the adventurer spirit we’ve returned to. We’re embracing our Azem roots, and travelling to new lands and meeting new people and coming to enjoy their cultures and presence. That sort of thing is what Venat, the previous Azem, loved so much about the world. And getting to understand her sentiments a bit more was excellent.

All in all, while DT has its faults, I 100% think this a great expansion. I’m excited again to see what is to come from this story, when I was apprehensive at best after 6.X patch story.

[wfagamerants]

The one thing I want to start this off with is to say I have no interest in participating in Paper Mario discourse. If you asked me if I enjoyed Color Splash and Origami King I’d give you a genuine yes (Sticker Star not so much, but few would fight me on that one). I have my preferences leaning towards the old stuff, but this isn’t about shitting on the new, just a celebration of what’s currently happening.

With that said, let’s get this going.

I don’t think a big introduction and recap of the Mario RPG history is all that necessary here. Only thing I’ll note is that I played all of them in release order over the years, apart from RPG, which had to wait until the Wii Virtual Console release in 2008, I even played the Mario & Luigi remakes, so I have a lot of opinions.

Needless to say, the Mario RPGs were one of those branches of Mario I just always expected to be there over the years. Along with the platformers, sports games, Kart, Party, etc, it was always one of those reliably present parts of the franchise I could count on to be there system after system.

The past couple of years though did feel very different. Paper Mario, while still retaining RPG elements, has shifted to a more adventure game kind of focus and with Alphadream gone, Mario & Luigi series is now in limbo, with nothing certain on whether the series will be handed off to another developer or be kept dormant for some time.

There are the Mario + Rabbids games and I like those a lot, but I personally never saw them as part of the RPGs, moreso strategy games with RPG elements like Fire Emblem. It’s just how I see things but I won’t argue with people that think otherwise, perfectly fine in my book.

It just felt like that part of the franchise was basically done for, after so many years of being around, but then, this happened.

Super Mario RPG was announced to get a remake. This was obviously huge for many reasons. It is a niche title that did well back then, but doesn’t really represent the Mario world as we know it now. Not even Peach’s Castle had its design set in stone at that point, that’s how early a take on Mario as a world it is.

It’s extremely faithful to boot. Mario, Peach and Bowser were updated to their modern looks and Toad now has dips on the blue vest, all more than fine changes and besides that, the game is a modernized take on the original to a tee. The environments, original character designs, even everyone’s proportions, are spot on and kept as you remember them.

There is more to say, but that ties into the big announcement we got last Direct too. You know the one:

Paper Mario The Thousand Year Door is also getting a remake and it’s looking every bit as faithful as the RPG remake.

Given how much I have adored this branch of the franchise, I can’t put into words how much this return to what we used to have means to me, it’s genuinely special to me.

It’s hard to say which of these I would have deemed more out of reach, but having both of them on the horizon really makes me wonder about some stuff. In particular, perhaps they are deliberately aiming to relaunch the RPG branch with these, especially knowing the Switch successor is more than likely on the horizon.

Regardless of what the future holds, this announcement hit me in the best way on a personal level. I love RPG and was excited to see it get such a loving comeback, but Paper Mario felt like an even bigger deal. RPG was a one-off that did its thing and then went quiet. Paper Mario is a series that after the second game, has seen change after change that, along with interviews, made it seem like the series I fell in love with, wouldn’t ever go back to what it used to be.

Gonna say once again that this isn’t a means to bash the new games, there even is a lot to them I enjoy. The overworld gameplay is consistently good and it’s more explorative edge and things to do in it even are something the old games can learn from. I also really like Huey and Olivia and genuinely think they and their dynamics with Mario really do a lot to keep me engaged with their games.

Thing is,I still think the old formula was more rock solid and don’t believe in tossing that out just for the sake of being different. There really isn’t anything wrong with sequels that take an established foundation and just expand on and play with it and it’s not like the Crafts Trilogy, as I’ll call them for brevity, don’t repeat ideas either. Every new game has a castle in the sky, a crafts themed main partner, some level of Toad rescuing,  a game show at some point, Luigi popping up once per area, etc. Not even saying that as a bad thing, just saying it’s not like the series over the past 11 years hasn’t been using some elements multiple times too.

There is also THAT subject, character variety and yes, I am in the boat that the lack of it has harmed the modern games and no, I don’t think that what the old games did was very different from what Mario always does. 

I said this back in my essay on 64, but Mario always does what needs to be done to adapt itself to a new genre. In the platformers, new takes on established species are usually reserved for the mooks or bosses, because they are such an important asset of the game. In an RPG you get that too, but the NPCs you interact with also get more variety, especially the Toads, because interacting with them and a large chunk getting various bits of involvements in story beats or sidequests, is a big part of the game.

I genuinely don’t see how Galoombas, Goombrats, Cat Goombas or in a non-mook example, Goombette from Odyssey and RPG Goombas like Goombella or Frankly are all that different. They all serve a particular purpose and are given distinct designs and characteristics that compliment them. They’re the same thing and of course that’s also gonna mean more unique designs in the RPGs, because while reused models/sprites for generic NPCs is an RPG norm, you do want to create the impression of a lived in, diverse world, instead of making you consciously feel like you’re talking to the same guy over and over again.

It’s a reason and I was floored when I learned it, that the Super Mario kun adaptation of Color Splash has more Toad variety than the game itself:

Sure they got the same outfits, but that's what kun always did, even during TTYD days;

It’s just a massive benefit to establish character and a reason that the Rescue Squad, Captain T. Ode and the Professor from TOK are standouts of the Crafts trilogy, because they DO have something to visually communicate their character and go from there.

These games ARE still deeply rooted in Mario and just add what needs to be added to translate well into an RPG. Like people give a lot of flak to say, the old Dry Bones design in the first two Paper Marios and I get it, but it is important to note this was the most recent design available for them at the time:

The modern Dry Bones design wasn’t established yet, so they worked with what they had. The games never twisted anything Mario in ways that defiled its vision, they just did what they felt was needed to make the game enjoyable as an RPG and a Mario game.

Goes without saying, but seeing the battle system not tampered with is also really lovely to see. I won’t throw shade at the modern games, but I do personally think none of the modern games have come up with a replacement that compares to the old system, with SS and CS even having ways to softlock you in certain circumstances like a really unlucky Kamek curse in the latter, keeping you from using Jump cards against flying enemies.

This isn’t about me not liking something different. I’m an avid pre-Switch ND Cube Mario Party defender who would play all five of them over Super Mario Party (now here’s a hot take).

It’s not about me being pissy about the paper focus. I prefer when it’s just a stylistic choice, with the occasional visual gag nodding to it, but I can give credit when I feel a use of it is creative and not just the characters mentioning they’re paper like that’s a joke of its own.

I had more points like this but decided to trim things because as I said, the point isn’t to bash the new games, I just genuinely think RPG and TTYD have a stronger foundation and are just better translations of Mario into the RPG genre and hope to see them signal a return to this style of Mario RPGs. Heck, they can still make adventure games like the crafts trilogy as their own sub-series and freed from the burden of having to please an existing fan base of a different style, I honestly want to see them go all out with the direction they go for. It and the RPG Paper Mario can easily co-exist that way.

More than anything though, I am amazed these two games exist at all. Both RPG and TTYD are treasured by many, but they aren’t the platformers or Mario Kart or something more recent that can be seen as currently relevant. Bringing these two back shows they are listening to the fans and I hope they do well enough to show to Nintendo that this is something that pays off.

Above all else I want to celebrate that we are getting this kind of Mario game again. Sure, I’ll argue WHY I think it’s such a good thing, but this is more than anything a time to be happy, not to fight.

[waitmyturtles]

Now that I’m a couple weeks back from my huge overseas trip, I’m very much back into my Old GMMTV Challenge Project (which, admittedly, has expanded WELL beyond the original three classic BLs that @absolutebl recommended to watch way back, when many of us were talking about old BL frameworks and tropes earlier this year!). Here’s an update:

1) The end of Love Sick Season 2 is incredibly near, and while, yes, there are many problematic factors to this show -- I think the show’s SHEER LENGTH allowed it to do a LOT with the characters and script that I’m frankly surprised by. It’s delved into allyship, into sexual exploration and revelation (on all the ends of the spectrum), into all the interesting shades of acceptance and casual homophobia among a group of teenage men, and now I see at the end of the show that we’ll (hopefully) get an exploration into acceptance of queer relationships by families, which is always my jam. 

I’ll save most of this for my post-watch analytical write-up, but I think for at least this show, to explore EVERYTHING the script got into -- the show needed this length. The writing wasn’t crisp and concise enough to really dig into things à la this wonderful era of GMMTV writing that we’re in NOW. But, I AM surprised by how far this script has gone without being ENTIRELY, 100% problematic. It’s a really good and fascinating watch, and I’m glad I dug into it for the history.

2) Next up will be Make It Right and Make It Right 2, which I originally thought would be my vehicle for learning more about the early high school pulps and getting familiar with pre-GMMTV Ohm Pawat. But I’ve also now been convinced by the wonderful @bengiyo to delve specifically into the works of the prolific New Siwaj, to learn about his focus on the queer male experience, and how he either successfully (or unsuccessfully) (or both, simultaneously) gets his messages across. I haven’t been watching his current works (Between Us, ABAAB), but surprisingly -- he’s a screenwriter on Double Savage, which for now seems very het. But now I wouldn’t be surprised if, à la 10 Years Ticket, we get a queer storyline in the show at some point. 

3) Speaking of Double Savage (which I am seriously enjoying -- I already highly recommend it), I’m watching Perth Tanapon for the first time (I didn’t watch Never Let Me Go, and I’m not sure that I will, yet, unless finishing out Double Savage makes me get into a Perth rabbithole). But anyway, I know that Dangerous Romance with PerthChimon is on its way, so I figured -- if Perth is paired with Ohm as brothers in DS -- that I should know about early PerthSaint, as Perth and Ohm had almost the same exact trajectory into GMMTV from their very youthful years in BL.

With that, and considering the new New Siwaj focus: I’m going to add Love By Chance to the list. (But I’m NOT adding the second season.) And it’ll be my first MAME show, and likely something that I feel like I SHOULD watch before watching TharnType later this year.

4) So here’s my newly jujjed list, and I’m fixing some errors for chronology here as well from past lists. I think with what I’ve watched so far -- Bad Buddy, ATOTS, The Eclipse, KinnPorsche, and Moonlight Chicken -- that I’ve already filled holes in this chronology, but I think this list gets me straight on the history I need to know.

If anyone has suggestions on watch order or other essential/necessary/historic/significant shows to watch, I am ALWAYS OPEN to feedback!

1) Make It Right (2016) 2) Make It Right 2 (2017) 3) Love By Chance (2018) 4) Kiss Me Again: PeteKao cuts (2018) 5) He’s Coming To Me (2019) 6) Dark Blue Kiss (2019) 7) TharnType (2019) 8) Theory of Love (2019) 9) Until We Meet Again (2019-2020) 10) 2gether (2020) 11) Still 2gether (2020) 12) ITSAY (2020) 13) I Promised You the Moon (2021) 14) Not Me (2021-2022) 15) My School President (2022-2023)

I can’t wait to finish Love Sick this week and get my write-up going, aaahhh!

[dastardlydandelion]

a 2024 update

i keep circling back to the idea of deleting my tumblr. i’m not as active as I once was, my schedule changed (and workload intensified) in the time i began this blog to where i am now. the AI is really freaking me out but that’s not just a tumblr problem, (it’s everywhere 😱) so much less of a factor in my contemplation because i know i can't avoid it.

i’m also not the same as i was three years ago and euuugh, some of my early stuff makes me cringe so hard i want to delete just to distance myself from it!!! but like, evolution and change are just natural in the process of existing as a human being. in another three years, i’ll be even more different (albeit my pre-frontal cortex will remain fully developed so the changes will potentially be less pronounced). soo what am i gonna do, reset every three years like a robot getting a new computer chip??

this is going to get longer than i expected, so explanation continues under the cut:

nah. i may not be as active as i used to be and my opinions/interests may have shifted/evolved, but still, so many of my friends are here and there’s all this cool art, and gifsets, and what have you.

since this was and remains mainly a fandom blog, i’ll briefly summarize my major attitude shifts regarding fandom:

on the yellowjackets front, a significant decrease in hostility toward one travis martinez. like…okay I still don’t love that ben sent travis out alone hunting with nat after he pointed a gun! at her fucking face! and I still don’t love the portion of fandumb that straight up ignores that travis pointed a gun at natalie’s face, and yes it was kind of frustrating that the male characters in general got so much screen time in a show that’s supposed to be about female characters but like. none of that is travis the character’s fault— actually ykw, that’s one of my problems generally that i noticed, that i want to grow from— i keep letting fandumb (and content burnout) influence my perception of and response to characters/plot lines/ships rather than organically formulating my interpretations separate from that influence. i mean fandumb generally, not just YJ. blah blah blah, anyway, i apologize, travis martinez. you had to eat your baby brother. you sank your teeth into his freshly carved out raw heart. i want to both examine you from a more organic angle going forward and hug you now.

okay, okay, i was gonna break down my notable shifts in opinion by fandom, but going off of the aforementioned pattern that i have, maybe i should...no, no, let's keep going by fandom, i have that problem in *every* fandom, so.

ST! I FINALLY WATCHED IT. holy cannoli, okay, @lucdarling and @foxgirlontherun are buds that i remember telling for sure, but i know for sure i didn't tell all of my ST pals so i'll touch on that. watched it over the holidays with my grandma, who had been trying to get me to watch for some time and i finally caved.

1.) we get more glimpses of the demogorgon in the first season than i ever gave it credit for. myself of...however many years ago was just too damn impatient waiting to see the whole damn monster. we get a claw here, a growl there, a moving shadow, etc. its introduction was actually well done, so. years-ago me, you were WRONG. WRONG, I TELL YOU, WRONG.

2.) eleven does not have pyrokinesis. i knew she was telepathic (to a degree) and telekinetic, but for some reason, in the past i *also* believed she could set things on fire with her mind. i just thought she used that power less because fire is so destructive. well...now i know she doesn't have pyrokinesis at all!

3.) the byers do NOT live in a trailer. this i did actually learn before watching the show, i learned in 2022 when a bud sent me like, a pic of their lego byers house and i was like, oh. neat. that's not a trailer. 🙃 so that i did become aware before watching, but seeing it onscreen reminded me that i knew.

4.) billy has more canon depth than i had given him credit for, previously having just watched scenes for fic-reference out of context. i apologize, billiam (i don't attribute a shred of that depth to the duffballs, but that's a different rant). i think since i entered the fandom side of things long before watching, i got certain portions of fanon and canon confused. also-- much like with travis and some other examples i'm going to get into-- i let too much fandumb influence my response to him + impression of his role in canon.

5.) steve is nowhere nearly as irritating in canon as i thought he was. the things that i find irritating about steve are-- once again, see above examples --not really anything that has to do with the character himself! i'm sorry, steve!

on that note, sorry hairygrove friends!! i love you guys and it's been a gift getting to know each of you over the last few years, but i was pretty damn mean to steve sometimes! i should've been nicer to steve...and maybe bill, for that matter, but i mean, i'd written so much from his POV i think it goes without saying that i've always had affection for the latter, even if i probably should've given him more credit for canon characterization and been less presumptuous.

obviously having seen the show, i have more developed thoughts on ST overall, but i think those are just...the main differentiations between opinions formulated in the early days of this blog versus where i'm at now. friends of mine who watch ST, if you want to talk about it, i'm happy to! but please DM me personally and don't send asks about it. i don't want to answer asks because those get posted on the main blog. on the main blog the algorithm reads what's posted and sends you suggestions accordingly.

certain parts of ST S4VOL2 make me *extremely* uncomfortable. i scroll past gifs, art, edits, etc, of those parts on occasion already since i have so many ST friends and the algorithm suggests related content. and it's fine...but i don't want to give the algorithm more reasons to show me even more things that make me uncomfortable, you know what i mean?

guess that's it for ST.

so let's revisit the scream franchise!

might as well go ahead and get the biggest change out of the way: i no longer hate dewey riley!

good lord, for years i was just the stabbiest damn crab at that character. 🦀🔪 opinion officially evolved, evolved BIG time. i was once so irritated with dewey i straight up celebrated when he got killed off . the glee at his demise pushed the ghostface that killed him right up to the top of my ranking.

BOOOOOOOOO. BOOOOOOOOO ME.

...okay. i. i'm sorry, dewey.

once again, here goes me with this pattern that i need to stop. me raising up my hackles at fandumb and components of the character that are not *the* character. i don't like the hero cop trope. i don't. the copaganda of it all...but. a character's mere status of falling into a category of trope or cliche shouldn't discourage thorough examination of them, their personalities, role in the story, or other traits. that's a very small way to interact with fiction, isn't it? i've since moved on from that knee-jerk dismissal.

i also was also a huge flipping grinch when it came to romance for a long ass time (will touch on this later) and so much of dewey's story is about the romance between him and gale. which is...actually a pretty solid romantic storyline, i realize after multiple earnest re-watches of the franchises. dewey has a solid arc! gale has a solid arc! their romance has a solid arc! should not have complained about this nearly as much as i did. maybe it's because of the chemistry between the performers, but all their banter throughout the movies that i once rolled my eyes at...it...it works! okay, it works, they made it work.

i no longer rejoice that dewey is killed off (albeit the scene itself is still pretty freaking cool). amber definitely *isn't* my ghostfave. she's NOT at the bottom of my list but NOT at the top. actually-- wait, no, that can wait, i'm not done with dewey yet...or am i, do i have anything else to say about dewey?

okay, he's not my favorite character, but. he's a classic and he's lovable and i won't fight it anymore because of petty irritations or my personal issues with a trope that in no way makes up the whole of his character.

since we're on scream, whoa, GHOSTFACE RANKING HAS EVOLVED 11/10!

yes, oh, that is so much different than where it was when i started this blog! also very different after recency bias + initial script + the dewey kill scene undeservedly shot amber to the top of my ranking in early 2022.

i'm not going to detail my ranking in this post. that could easily be its own post with its own thorough dissections of which ghostface takes which slot and why. but i will bring up another scream character whose opinion of mine has greatly changed over time: richie kirsch.

i was so irritated by this guy before. couldn't stand him! and you guessed it, for the wrong reasons! i was put off by a lot of the outpouring of the horny focus on him in fandom. not shaming anybody for their preferences by the way! look, i have my own villain crushes (see beth, who is at the top of my ranking again although we'll save the details for another day). it's just...it was kind of frustrating back then to want to gush about the carpenter sisters and mostly find myself surrounded by risque white male centered content instead. i hope that's understandable. so i got burned out on richie content and dismissed the whole character. i was also VERY put off by radio silence's interpretation of their ghostface duo in 2022 but that's a different conversation and again, not richie the character's fault.

richie is funny! okay, he's funny, yes, the "boner pills" line is still irritating, but now...now when i re-watch 5cream i can appreciate him more and the humor of richie *mostly* lands for me! i also think scream VI made me appreciate richie more, because his family is so underdeveloped and wayne's actor made...choices with that performance. but again, that's something i would get into more if i were to detail the evolution of my ghostface ranking.

i think that's it for the major changes in my scream feelings...what other fandoms...

okay, cobra kai? how have my opinions evolved there?

ykw, that one might be mostly the same. the show got worse. it got so bad. it's so bad now, it just bums me out. the one thing i truly wanted from that show was for tory nichols to get the screentime she deserved and for the show to deliver on her hidden depths alluded to the first three seasons. my wish was granted in sheer monkey paw fashion, because they finally did that and pretty much the rest of the show went to shit, go figure. 💩

um...hmm...SHIPPING.

oh, okay, shipping. yeah, let's talk about that. not fandom specific, just um. okay, at the time i started this blog i was never what the kids call 'antis' in that i have some moral beef with fan content of fictional characters falling in love or doing sex things. no, no, that's pretty silly. BUT what i was, was a huge grinch!!! just the mention of romance made me scrunch my face. wouldn't read/write/engage with any shippy things beyond some extremely particular F/F content.

as someone who prefers F/F because it's what i relate to, i know at some point i was just burned out on everything fandom being so heavily M/M focused and everything canon being so heavily F/M focused. i also have feelings about the way M/F is portrayed in canon media due to misogynistic tropes and storylines. but even where F/F was concerned, i was so picky. picky as a damn porcupine.

i believe a combination of things has finally let me to loosen up when it comes to shipping and romance in general.

1.) limiting my engagement with it, allowing me to recover from the burnout.

2.) getting over personal romantic issues IRL that tainted my engagement in fictional romance.

3.) YELLOWJACKETS. i have many complaints with s2 but nevertheless, YJ has given us so many complex, rich female characters with interesting dynamics. and the exploration of those dynamics is abundant, varied, and so thoughtfully explored in YJ fandom that i am hooked! i feel more invested in expanding my F/F pool and i feel less overrun by the greater amount of M/M and M/F content because these fascinating characters and the earnest effort fandom puts into depicting multilayered relationships between them just...evens the playing field, i guess, if we're gonna make a soccer pun. ⚽️

4.) watching romances + romantic subplots with women behind the camera. turns out, the less misogyny involved, the more genuinely i can enjoy an M/F ship. go figure, huh.

anyway, i'm not such a stab crab about romance anymore. i know i have many fandom friends who *are* interested in shipping and i apologize if i was ever cramping your style or bringing you down when i would express my disgruntlement. i hope you can forgive me, i promise to be less of a grinch now. 💚

🦀🔪 fandom opinions that have not changed:

1.) THE BLACK PHONE. waited a year, paid $30 to watch ethan hawke put plates on the floor for an hour! NO! i want a refund!!! WASTED POTENTIAL. GONNA HOLD THIS GRUDGE FOREVER.

2.) the CAOS finale was absolutely disgusting! it was never a great show, sarah rees brennan who wrote the tie-in novels should've been in charge of the screenplay, imo. the novels did so much, so much better, but i digress...mediocre show or not, that fourth season took bad to a whole new level. 🤢

3.) ALEX SAXON CANNOT ACT. i appreciate nancy drew (2019) presenting to me F/M ships (namely fanson) i could actually get into because of the way the dynamics were written but the nace obsessions baffles me when the acting in MTV scream was oscar-worthy compared to this man's sheer lack of ability to emote.

...unless....unless the editors of the show hated alex saxon and only used edits they knew were bad in the finalized episodes in order to sabotage his career going forward. but i have no proof, it's just a possible conspiracy theory. 🤔

non-fandom relevant blog thoughts:

i love interacting with my friends, building connections, and admiring the creativity people put out into the world in various forms. i want to be more focused on that, online and offline, than negativity. i also don't want my apprehension surrounding AI to prevent me from engaging with the digital world and the wonderful human people i've gotten to know through it.

i want to think about nature more than the things that make me so angry, so beyond my control. i want to share animal facts and pictures of forests and funnily shaped rocks. i want to spend more time making people laugh than spiraling into personal insecurities...i don't think my blog was ever a *particularly* negative place, but oh boy, i could certainly be a crab with TWO knives...

there's plenty to be afraid of and be angry about with the expansion of AI and its grip on the digital world. i guess the whole purpose of this post was just to express 'these are the things that have changed and my priorities have also changed.' with that, i really want to focus more on creative things, fun things, funny things, and share more joy than anything else.

there's only so much time. i want to spend the bulk of it cherishing the connections we make, more than anything else.

[sen-no-kotowari]

PGR A Changyu Character Profile

Good day! Here's part two of the character profile postings! Changyu's was being worked on in my drafts in terms of formatting right before the tmblr update that made the plug-in I use keep on crashing tmblr. Without further ado, you can learn more about him in the cut down below. Or on his dedicated Interlude Story here (*'ω'*)

Voice Line Data

Motion Voice Lines

Lobby Voice 1

Changyu: Repair fee, snack funds, plus consolation money... Well, we get along with each other so I'll charge you half my usual price. Shouldn't be a problem for you with that much, no?

Lobby Voice 2

Changyu: Wanna play a game? I'll toss this copper coin in the air, aand...here we go! So, wanna try and guess if it's heads or tails?

Lobby Voice 3

Changyu: Commander! C-commander? (Inhale) Com-man-der~ ...Tch, I just can't get used to it, argh. You know what, lemme just directly call you by your name.

Raise Affection Level

Changyu: Is there anything you want? It's not my style you see, receiving gifts regularly and such...

Repetitive Taps

Changyu: Guh! If you keep on patting my head, I'm not gonna grow any taller than this!

Log-In

Changyu: (Yawn) Hrmm? It's rough waking up this early... Can't you give me a bit more time?

Online for a Long Time

Changyu: Let me help you with your work. Oh, count me out on the paperwork-related stuff tho'! Spare me from having to read all those letters.

AFK

Changyu: (Yaaaaawwnn)~ ...Guess nobody's here huh? 'kay, I'm gonna leave now??

Shake

Changyu: Hah! I'm not flustered by that!

Offline for a Long Time

Changyu: You promised, right? That I'll be flicking your forehead if you ever leave without a word. (Huff)... C'mon now! I'm not gonna flick that hard!

Introduction and Formation

Structure Acquired

Changyu: Yo, I'm here to help out. Don't you worry, I'll be chargin' that old man Hassan for the payment for my services.

Level Up

Changyu: My ability's gotten better now. Well, that's only natural!

Advancement

Changyu: If it's 'bout rising in the ranks, I know all about it~ And? In what place am I currently ranked[1] then? Oh, I got it wrong?

Model Improvement

Changyu: Heheh, I'm all fired up now!

Skill Upgrade

Changyu: Oh okay~ So this part here's the problem for this move.

Equipment

Changyu: Well I'll be, this looks really good! Hraaah! Yaaah!

Add in Team

Changyu: C'mon, let's break through those guys' line of defense!

Assign as Captain

Changyu: Watch after me throughout the battle now so I won't overdo things.

Mission Accomplished

Changyu: Piece of cake!

Daily Small Talks

Voice Line 1

Changyu: Repair fee, snack funds, plus consolation money... Well, we get along with each other so I'll charge you half my usual price. Shouldn't be a problem for you with that much, no?

Voice Line 2

Changyu: Do I really have to stand here all day? Tsk, man talk 'bout boring.

Voice Line 3

Changyu: Don't you guys here over at Eden have anything interesting or something~? All this fighting's bound to make you go crazy, y'know?

Voice Line 4

Changyu: You free right now? Lemme hear some interesting stuff from your mission last time. In exchange, I'll let you in something 'bout the train cars even Sofia doesn't know of. How 'bout it?

Voice Line 5

Changyu: There's no point in practicing martial arts if you're only gonna focus on practicin' techniques that use your fists. Basically, this practice method's useless. Guess there's nothing I can do about it huh~ How 'bout I completely teach you everything I know from the ground up? This is a rare chance for you, y'know.

Voice Line 6

Changyu: Commander! C-commander? (Inhale) Com-man-der~ ...Tch, I just can't get used to it, argh. Y'know what, lemme just directly call you by your name.

Voice Line 7

Changyu: Wanna play a game? I'll toss this copper coin in the air, aand...here we go! So, wanna try and guess if it's heads or tails?

Voice Line 8

Changyu: Don't underestimate me, my height's got nothing to do with this!

Voice Line 9

Changyu: Whenever I'm with you, I can comfortably do my job. How 'bout consider working with me over at the Trade Alliance? ...Ahahahahaha, just kidding.

Voice Line 10

Changyu: Y'know, that old fogey Lee—...I mean, Lee always wins whenever we're playing trump 'cause of card countin'[2]. There's this "trick" I'm using in my case though. Wanna know 'bout it? It's a secret.

Voice Line 11

Changyu: The basics of being an opera actor[3]'s necessary for this performance. If you're curious, I can teach you 'bout it.

Voice Line 12

Changyu: Man, you sure are popular, y'know that~ Introduce me next time when there's a chance. Huh? Relax, I'm not gonna do anything.

Raise Affection Level

Voice Line 1

Changyu: What are you doing!?

Voice Line 2

Changyu: Why not give this kind of kiddy stuff to other people?

Voice Line 3

Changyu: Come on now! Stop treating me like some kid!

Voice Line 4

Changyu: So, you want me to act as your proxy and sell this?

Voice Line 5

Changyu: Woah hold on, what are you planning to do? I'm getting goosebumps from that.

Voice Line 6

Changyu: 'nother gift for me? You're not planning anything behind all this, right? ...Wha-, I never said I don't want it. If you're gonna give it for free, 'course I'll accept it.

Voice Line 7

Changyu: I can easily strike a conversation with others, but it doesn't mean that I'll easily accept them.

Voice Line 8

Changyu: I just tried saying it casually, but to think you really remembered it, huh... He~h, thanks.

Voice Line 9

Changyu: Whenever I stay here, sometimes I remember 'bout the times I was working at the theatre. ...Oh, it's nothing. I just thought it's not bad, y'know, spending time together with you just like this.

Voice Line 10

Changyu: Is there anything you want? It's not my style you see, receiving gifts regularly and such...

Voice Line 11

Changyu: There's only a handful of people I approve of, few enough I could count them with one hand! You're part of that handful of people.

Voice Line 12

Changyu: Commander, wanna try and attempt this with me next time?

AFK

Voice Line 1

Changyu: Huh? You're still here? Don't go tattlin' that I'm slacking to Jamila.

Voice Line 2

Changyu: Wakey, wakey, rise and shine! If you don't, I'll whack your butt 'til you decide to wake up.

Voice Line 3

Changyu: (Yaaaaawwnn)~ ...Guess nobody's here huh? 'kay, I'm gonna leave now??

Voice Line 4

Changyu: Commander? ...Geez, you really fell asleep huh? Then, I'll go help myself and doodle a turtle on your face.

Online for a Long Time

Voice Line 1

Changyu: I don't know how other people could endure just standing still all the time in this place without doing anything.

Voice Line 2

Changyu: You sure are desperately working your butt off. Does Eden pay you double for the overtime?

Voice Line 3

Changyu: Stop being such a workaholic, let's go out and play!

Voice Line 4

Changyu: Let me help you with your work. Oh, count me out on the paperwork-related stuff tho'! Spare me from having to read all those letters.

Log-In

Voice Line 1

Changyu: Yo', morning.

Voice Line 2

Changyu: Okay, sheesh, I get it!

Voice Line 3

Changyu: 'kay then, let's go over what we're supposed to do for the day, shall we?

Voice Line 4

Changyu: (Yawn) Hrmm? It's rough waking up this early... Can't you give me a bit more time?

Voice Line 5

Changyu: Have you eaten already? ...Ah, this is how everyone usually greets other people back where I used to live in.

Voice Line 6

Changyu: You're pretty lively today, huh Commander. Wanna spar with me for a bit?

Offline for a Long Time

Changyu: You promised, right? That I'll be flicking your forehead if you ever leave without a word. (Huff)... C'mon now! I'm not gonna flick that hard!

Shake

Voice Line 1

Changyu: This much tremor's totally fine with me. All the shaking on the train's more intense than this.

Voice Line 2

Changyu: Maan, that scared me... Having to stand properly after that, not gonna happening soon! Although you can actually see that I can't walk straight, it's clearly intentional. That's right, it's all skills, y'know!

Voice Line 3

Changyu: Hah! I'm not flustered by that!

Repetitive Taps

Voice Line 1

Changyu: Heh, an ambush? My reflexes are incredibly fast.

Voice Line 2

Changyu: Guh! If you keep on patting my head, I'm not gonna grow any taller than this!

Voice Line 3

Changyu: Ack, why you...! Hold up! You're gonna pay for messin' with me!

Activity Task Full

Changyu: We're done already? So the time from now on is my free time, right?

Battle Dialogues

Battle Start/Character Switch

Changyu: Since I got paid for this, leave the rest to me!

Voice Line 1

Changyu: Move from your waist, focus your Chi, and release it to your fist!

Voice Line 2

Changyu: My inner ability's about to burst forth!

Voice Line 3

Changyu: Effectively know when to strike the opponents, and keep your strength in check with your heart!

Ultimate Skill

Changyu: Within the shapeless form lies a formless style!

Light Damage

Changyu: Guh! I'm fine!

Heavy Damage

Changyu: Hey, don't just stand there, do something!

Incapacitated

Changyu: Dammit... Come on, move... move...this damn...body...

Friend Support

Changyu: Work outside of what's stipulated in the contract is service, free of charge.

QTE

Changyu: Cùn Jìn![4]

Battle End

Changyu: Make an effort even if you were bested, and carry through until you achieve inner peace.

Structure Documentation

Document Detail 1

ADL-17, Changyu. He used to work at a theatre in Kowloon and boarded the Nona Ouroboros to escape the "war" during the Golden Age Era. However, he was "restrained" and lost his memories as a result. After a certain incident, he fled from the Nona Ouroboros and became an escort for the Adiliek Trade Alliance.

Document Detail 2

In addition to Changyu's body being collectively equipped with both a young man's tenacity and keen and nimble reflexes, he could make use of his abilities in kung-fu to its fullest—his eye color would instantly change whenever he reaches the maximum output.

Document Detail 3

After he regained back the memories he had lost, Changyu frequently remembers the view of having meals together during his time working at the theatre. Even though he studied how to recreate the flavors through how he remembers them, he shared the food he cooked among the residents of the commoner train car because Structures don't need to consume food. Unfortunately, however, he gradually stopped cooking, seeing that the food culture of Kowloon isn't much accepted in the Azil. He may not talk about it frequently, but Changyu feels a bit regretful about it even now.

Document Detail 4

The copper coin Changyu owns is a "war trophy" from a certain military operation. Since it was originally a limited edition commemorative coin issued inside the Nona Ouroboros, the wealthy owned it in order to display both their identity and stature. It seems like Changyu frequently uses some kind of "trick" to acquire them. Although it isn't needed anymore, Changyu still brings it with him out of habit.

Document Detail 5

"We shouldn't abandon each other, no matter what. Whatever happens, I'll absolutely keep our promise." Changyu, who was born in Kowloon, has experienced farewell and betrayal countless times. Because of that, he doesn't easily give his trust to others. Although he promised to have a strong working partnership with the Commander, it was the first for Changyu to lighten his wariness and vowed to cooperate with them.

Document Detail 6

"The war has taken everything from me, that's why I'll do everything I can to protect you. I won't let anybody take what I hold dear ever again..." If one asks about Changyu's frantic reasons, it's because he doesn't want to turn against the trust and promise he had made. And one thing he thought of while answering was to sit around the dining table with the Commander and let them have a taste of Changyu's homemade food as if they were part of his family.

Rumors and Secrets

Secret 1 Even though his merit focuses on practicality, Changyu has a moral sense strong enough that he won't be led astray just by his self-interest alone—his definition of merits not just entails material things, he has also thought that kindness and relationships with other people are also valuable merits.

Secret 2 Calls people who are older than him "uncle" or "auntie"—rather than disrespecting them, Changyu calls them that out of respect towards people older than him. If they feel offended by what he called them, Changyu would immediately change what he'd call them.

Secret 3 Takes good care of things and is a frugal person. Because of his disposition, Changyu hates wealthy people who simply throw away things and refuses to make a deal with them. Jamila however, is different and even thinks of her as an exemplary merchant—it's because she'd make use of the merchandise to its full potential.

Secret 4 Structures cannot grow taller—Changyu seems to be very bothered by that fact.

Secret 5 While he is fundamentally a lazy person, Changyu will certainly finish the work he accepted.

Secret 6 He specializes in Kowloon's cuisine and likes to cook for other people. Though the food Changyu makes is delicious, most of how it's plated become visually off-putting because he hates spending too much time in the kitchen just for prepping and plating.

Secret 7 Has 48 places he calls his "secret hiding spot"—they're located at the gaps between each train car. All of the things he had collected are hidden in those said secret hiding spots in case something happens to Changyu.

Secret 8 He won't easily make a promise to others. Changyu would either refuse or would somehow dodge the topic if it's a promise he wouldn't want to make from the very beginning.

Secret 9 Changyu's dream was to become a hero just like the ones in theatre plays—the reason appears to be that he wanted to be strong enough to protect everyone he cares about.

Secret 10 He is well-versed in traditional games like Mahjong and such. In Mahjong, Changyu could differentiate each tile simply by touching it and has the skill to rearrange them in the way he likes.

Secret 11 He's familiar with many magic tricks used in performances aside from card tricks. He applies them on missions to outwit his opponents.

Secret 12 Changyu's tail not only allows him to grab things with it and regain his balance, but it can also serve as a weapon. He pretends to trip over, wraps his tail around his opponent's feet, and as he feigns an apology, Changyu shifts towards the counteroffensive. It appears nobody has yet to avoid it at first glance.

「甲乙丙丁」is a word used to indicate an pecking order based on the ten signs of the Chinese Zodiac. However, it could also be used to indicate a grade or rank.

Card counting is a calculation method in Statistics used to increase the odds of knowing which card is currently on play.

「四功五法」is a collective term used in traditional Chinese theatres which encompasses the basic skills and techniques a classically-trained opera actor should have.

Cùn Jìn is a type of striking attack using your fist in both Kung Fu and Karate.

[bvannn]

Weekly Update September 8, 2023

This week my body has not been kind to me so I haven’t done as much as I’d like, but honestly I still did a lot.

First and foremost I fixed the corrupted TRGA file (and by fixed I mean redid everything that was lost), and I’ve started the next step: Jon’s animation for shot 1-2. I’ve been looking into some framerate studies and I think? I have an idea of where and where not to hold frames, this piece of animation will use that a bit, as a prop will be moving fast enough to warrant it. Also I designed the prop, I know I’ll need to mess with it more in later shots but the hardest part is done. I’ve finished the keyframes and have started the tweens, I consider myself 1 day ahead of schedule for now.

I’ve also been messing with some drawing designing things: Backstage, one of my OC stories, warrants some alternate outfits for certain characters that I haven’t really put an effort into designing until recently. That picture of Reesie in the dress being one. I’ll try to get art done for the others.

I should also be able to update commission stuff as well, haven’t done the math to see if I need to change prices, but I should hopefully be able to add backgrounds as options soon.

I have been scattered as far as music goes. I keep thinking projects will be good for learning, then putting them off. Honestly the ‘big’ music project I had seems the most straightforward at the moment, and also seems like a better springboard to teach me what I’m missing than I thought, so I think I’ll commit to it. It’s a long form medley of several short songs, I don’t know how long it’ll be, but since it’s a mashup with many songs, it’ll teach me what I need, hopefully. I have a spreadsheet I’ll fill out with the keys and chords, once I finish I’ll test some segments out and maybe stop being vague about it. I don’t want to build attention before I know I’ll be able to get anywhere with it, but we’ll see where we get.

Most importantly, I have an interview for an internship next Tuesday morning, so I’m going to be hard focusing on making sure I’m as healthy and hydrated and whatever as I can be until then. This means early bedtimes, so I might have a bit less time to draw, but this is a really important internship I’ve wanted for a really long time, and last time I interviewed I got really close to getting picked, so I want to do whatever I need to guarantee it this time. This might mean taking it easy and not drawing anything until Wednesday, or drawing extra to boost my mood. Not sure, we’ll see.

[uchutheangel9]

Hello, new and old welcome to my blog

I originally had an account called @uchu-the-angel before making a new account and made this blog this because I am already grown up to be a wise woman, and I don’t want to be in an account a reminder of the times I wasn’t mature i’ll use that as an example of my mistake, but I will not be posting on that account and blog along with the other blogs that I once created there are a lot of mistakes in my old account and I would rather restart things with a better understanding how Tumblr works since I started my old blog account in 2020 with no knowledge about Tumblr or any of that this new Tumblr blog account has been on since 2023 so not too long. I am already a change person. I might as well acknowledge on my mistake back when I was friends with a person who used to be on Tumblr I will not address who they are for their privacy but if you’re my old followers from my old blog you know who they are.

Mistake number 1: I called some people who are not related to me as my best friend or family; I didn’t clarify this one since I was confused of what family means at the time and I even called the most family way too early and just the first year. We first met that was my mistake even though I didn’t know they were uncomfortable I don’t want to repeat this again and no, just because it’s that person or even any other person says that they have a disability, for example, autism does not automatically mean their family or best friends. Since to gain a best friendship or family, it takes years and years to get used to each other and only then one or the other can be considered as a best friend or a family. No this doesn’t mean romantic love unfortunately and before anyone says anything, I do not want any romantic relationship. I’ve already been breaking up with three of them in IRL. I do not need another in the internet.

My mistake number two: making fan art of the characters without crediting the person who owns their original character; this one again is my fault back when I first came to Tumblr. I didn’t know you have to use (@) to credit the artist and have been using (#) for quite a while and it could seem like I’m stealing the characters which was not my intention, but it seems like it at least now I know what to use and what not to use. Since (#) are only used for categories while (@) are used to credit the creator.

Mistake number three: I should never ask for anyone to be on live on YouTube with me if they feel uncomfortable; this one I have started to think about it and even though I did ask them the first time I didn’t ask them again the second time yes I do own a YouTube channel. No, I will not be asking other people I just met. I will be only acting my friends if they are comfortable to do it with me, but that’s it. But again, I will not ask anyone to be online with me and less are comfortable with me or comfortable to being on live.

I believe there is more but I might update this just in case if I remember something, but that’s all I can think of.

Rules: I’ll be putting rules so that way no one gets hurt, gets bullied, or makes people uncomfortable. I don’t want anything to happen. Not only that it will not just be extended to you, but also to myself since I am, myself is still learning and I don’t want to make the same mistakes again or make mistakes that other people have done.

Rule 1. NO NSFW!: I may be an adult, but even I do not like NSFW neither does anyone else I may have a friend that does like these things, but that doesn’t mean that I myself should like them or anyone else. This also includes request for an art if you ask me to draw you an NSFW I will ignore you or block you so please do not do it.

Rule 2. Do not harass, cyber bully, groom, or abuse anyone not just minor but anyone no matter the age: this is something I keep hearing a lot in the art community and these are some serious topics. I do not care how old you are if you’re doing this. You’ll be instantly blocked and possibly reported.

Rule 3. Do not feel OCs (original characters): now I have mentioned that since I didn’t know how to credit the creator most of it looks like that I’m stealing their characters that also applies to you if you don’t give credit to the creator, you’ll be instantly blocked or recorded if you’re like me, you didn’t know how to credit the artist and all that use (@) is the only thing that will lead to the other artists or writers do you want me mistake? However, if you’re doing this intentionally not only that you’ll be blocked, but also reported for feeling someone’s character, including mine I have created OCs I hadn’t posted here yet and some that are in my old blog so do not steal any of them. Most of the drawings are my fan art from the person who used to write this story but there are some characters I posted and I don’t want those specific ones to be stolen.

Rule 4. Do not steal, tracing, or use AI for your art: again another serious topic in the art community. This is the reason why people started using watermark since people keep stealing art and tracing left and right and even using AI art as well it is not OK in the art community and is best to not only block them but also report them immediately.

Rule 5. Do not wish harm upon your enemies: Just because your enemy is following me does not mean you should wish her upon them it’s a thing that goes on and it is best to be passed around that way. This would not repeat itself. It has been repeating too many times it should be known.

Rule 6. Please for the love of God or any deity there is in this universe/world please be kind and respectful to one another: I understand you guys are minor, but some of you guys are adult as well or going to be adult and it’s best if you respect that if you can’t do that, you will be blocked because nobody wants to be disrespect.

This may get an update in the future so please be on the lookout just in case.

I am sorry if you cannot read this I have just wanted to market just in case if someone tries to steal this one. This is meet the artist and the creator, but just meet the artist.

Name: Jessica (IRL) but I prefer to be called Uchu (online)

Pronouns: She/Her/They/Them

Birthday: July 4th, 2002 (right now I’m 22)

Zodiac: Cancer ♋️ (not a disease)

Sexuality: Biromance and Asexual (I maybe gender fluid because my pronouns)

Disability: Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), low IQ (this has changed but again I still have a lot of learning to do. It’s slow, but it’s worth it.) Trauma (it had changed over time since I no longer taking care of by my abusers but there are some times where I would freeze if I did something wrong such as spilling a drink no matter what liquid it is because I thought I was gonna be beaten up again before I go get a towel to dry the floor maybe that’s PTSD but I’m not really sure)

Likes:

* Drawing (I think that’s obvious)

* Japanese (yes my dad called me a weed)

* Dragons (love them since I was very little)

* Hatsune Miku (I’m not the only fan)

* Original Characters (pacifically my own)

* Design (this depends on a lot of things either by IRL, dress design, are there people artwork etc.)

* Crystal (fun fact I collect rocks. My mom asked me if I was collecting crystals for witchcraft and I told her no I just like rocks, but she may have a point.)

* Dolls

* Witchcraft (another phone back. Some of my ancestors are witches along with my mom and Grandma.)

* Games (video games only I do not like board games because my family will not play with me)

* Fallen Angels (I have a love angels since I was little plus because I played Obey Me! Shall we date and Obey Me! Nightbriner I may also like demons too who knows)

* blood/gore (my parents always said I have a dark side to it.)

* horror/thriller (you might want to think my mom for it)

Dislikes: (before anyone sent anything about the color I know it’s pink and plus I already use red on the rules so deal with it )

- getting blocked (I got traumatized over it when I first got blocked and I don’t want that again if I do get blocked again, I’ll use that as a lesson to myself)

- Abandoned (I was neglected as a child back then)

- Abuse (I was also abused when I was a child physically and verbally. There is a reason why I did say no abuse on my rules.)

- Lies (I’ve been lied before and I don’t want to be lied again.)

- physical touch without consent (this has always been with me since childhood. No one has touched me inappropriately other than my ex-boyfriends from middle school and high school including when I was living in the apartments with my parents but that’s it)

- Getting pulled by the hair (I understand this is physical abuse, but I still do not like it and that’s why I prefer my hair being short)

- Loud noise (if you have autism, you understand how it feels to listen to loud noises)

My other social medias

Instagram: Uchu Angel ( https://www.instagram.com/uchuangel/ )

Twitter (also known as X): Uchu the Angel (I don’t know how to share my link for this one, but you can find me on the search icon)

DeviantArt: xXHasamiFox2002Xx ( https://www.deviantart.com/xxhasamifox2002xx )

YouTube: Uchu the Angel ( https://youtube.com/@uchutheangel332?si=UIW5JdzOtOdbi8eq )

TikTok: jessicawitcher2 (again I don’t know how to put the link in. This will be the same just like the other one)

That is it for now understand that things will change so expect that in this post and I hope you guys have a lovely day.

[jackscharp]

Maybe I’ll actually post again on this second blog since I’m arguably more into Pokémon than I was when I made it.

For starters, my Pokémon journey:

Right around the time it got huge in the United States, my mother enrolled me in a summer camp. A kid there introduced me to Sandshrew, and he was so cute that I wanted to know more about this game.

So somehow I convinced my parents to buy me the Machamp starter deck. I didn’t recall there being any fire type cards in the deck, but Im sure I’d remember having learned how to edit decks so early, so it must have had them and just only the holo Machamp stands out in my memory.

Bringing your cards to school to show off or trade was a thing, so I did that, but my backpack wouldn’t fit in the lockers for gym class and so it was left out and some jerk stole my cards. (sidebar, you’d think I learned my lesson but someone got into my unlocked drawer at one of my desks at work this year and stole some Matchbox cars I had in there that I’d take out to decorate the desk; unfortunately I hadn’t been issued a key to lock them - and work stuff - up and this location).

I was dejected enough that I lost interest in Pokémon, and it was pretty quick that it seemed everyone else at my school did too, or at least they stopped being vocal about it. I don’t think I ever heard if my friend Matt got his Charizard he wanted.

Years later, Pokemon Go comes out. I wasn’t going to try it out, but my wife wanted to and so that was my getaway free card to nerd out. Our son wasn’t born yet so we had lots of time to hit up the parks, drive slowly through cemeteries, and follow the online postings of where to find Snorlax and Blissey and the Dratini family.

When my son was born, taking him for stroller-supported strolls through pretty parks with pokestops, gyms, and Magnemite and other nests became a weekly occurrence and was my preferred way to spend the days I’d take off every year for my birthday. Though my wife eventually stopped liking the game, he became old enough to understand and start catching for himself (though unfortunately that was a gateway to all sorts of other videogames and for a while it seemed absolutely nothing interested him other than screens, so introducing PoGo to him had downsides). As he learned to ride a bike, having that with me during those times was an extra plus. I even got the Pokémon Plus or whatever that first edition was called, to discretely fill up my inventory on pokeballs at museums without getting distracted by a desire to catch every Sandshrew, Magnemite, etc. I could find despite not caring whether I got a better one and not needing any more candy.

Some time in the last two years, I realized that the battles were less fun than they had been for me when they first came out and I found multiple types of teams for each league. Battling to win stardust to further power up Pokémon to hopefully win more battles so I could get stardust to… That cycle just wasn’t as fun anymore. It wasn’t long after that that I was rarely opening the game except for trips, to send Postcards to friends. Around this time I had also learned of the mobile game for Wizards of the Coast’s Magic: The Gathering called Magic: Spellslingers. I had never got into Arena and here comes what I found to be a more approachable mode of playing. The matches were more intellectually stimulating than I had found the PoGo battles to be, which is what I was missing from that.

I really liked that game but it didn’t last: Earlier this year, WotC announced that the app - which had little meaningful updates since like fall 2022 - was shutting down in July 2024. The Kotaku article that I read mentioned other similar games that have come to an end but also games that are still going, including Pokémon TCG Live. So: A free-to-play all of the card game, so an even more one-to-one upgrade in the planning and strategy I missed from PoGo, but still with the characters that I know and love, than Spellslingers had been?

So I started into that, and just hit Master League level in my second season. I highly doubt I will get to Arceus and won’t even try, but I’m glad to have gotten this far. I’m the meantime, I remembered that my friend Red had gotten me a Galarian Darumaka theme deck years ago for some reason. We had never played the TCG together - though he was one of my PoGo buddies for raids and we did remote battles occasionally - so even he forgot he bought it for me. Around that time I had come up with some ideas if I were to ever make a second deck, and now here I am planning to get my son the Pokémon Battle Academy from 2020 for his birthday and myself an Ampharos EX Battle Deck. I don’t be going to no Friday Night Pokémon or whatever they call that sort of thing on this side of the TCG aisle but I look forward to teaching my son this weekend and finally getting some matches in with Red.

I’m hoping there are some other Pokémon TCG Live fans out there among my MtG followers and maybe I can hear about your decks or favorite cards. I plan to share my two favorite homemade brews, as In not sure my minor tweaks to the game-provided intro decks would be that interesting to anyone since my win percentage is sub-50% (and in anticipation of that, my chosen slogan in the game is ‘The most important thing is to have fun. Winning just happens to be fun!’ Or something like that). Maybe you’ll be interested. If not, we’ll, I probably don’t need another blog time sink like my Magic one was at first!

[redafi]

So I’ve been gone for a while

Hi!

Sort-of-life-update:

School is being evil but it ends soon so there is freedom on the horizon

My teacher did not like my essay recently, still devastated over this (it was supposed to be about an aspect of a culture in the middle east. Because we were in our middle east unit. I went “oh I’ll write about common themes and symbolism in Israel!” And then found myself drowning in information about the history of Judaism instead… and when I learn something in the course of a project I have a habit of including what I’ve learned in my essay. It’s because I don’t outline properly.)

I am unwillingly being forced to face the fact that maybe everyone doesn’t have to like. have a council meeting with themselves in their head in order to convince themselves into brushing their teeth. May need to up my antidepressants, because GOD do I want my mom’s energy levels and she’s getting them SOMEHOW. Can’t imagine not living on a tiny energy budget. @ Universe GIVE ME A BIGGER ALLOWANCE

Watched a new anime with my younger sibling recently. We were taking care of the house while my parents took a three-day vacation to Las Vegas, and we watched an anime called “I'm the Villainess, So I'm Taming the Final Boss”. Absolutely hilarious to watch my younger sibling be seduced by an anime character, the poor dear.

I have been playing so much minecraft with Lex (younger sibling) that it’s actually kind of impressive. Normally I get burned out on a world within a few days, but I’ve managed to play on our current one to the point where I couldn’t convince Lex to let me put off the whole “ender dragon” thing. I was dragged along to defeat “Her Majesty, The Tyrant Of The End” like a very disgruntled cat on a leash: I just want to build farms and trade with villagers. Let me live my small town farm dreams. (The fact that I got a cat early in the game in this world definitely contributed to my not-yet-being-burnt-out. Minecraft dogs are adorable but I’m used to losing them because they fight. Cats? Not so much.) I’ll show you guys some stuff I’ve done later: I don’t make masterpieces, but I’m happy with my work regardless.

I read an amazing Harry Potter fic recently that I think was recced to me by a friend (and that reminds me that I should let them know that I finished it). I’ve never been a big fan of Snape, especially after growing more attached to the idea of becoming a teacher, but Snape in this fic? Harry is like “yes he’s a jerk but also he’s my favorite teacher because ~Potions~” Draco becomes a friend: he doesn’t get a choice in the matter. Sirius is alive and this is Important to me. (A Harry Potter fix-it fic is what began my adventure into fanfiction, actually. A fic about an OC, Lupin’s daughter, who likes to knit with her wand. Lupin does not know for a while, I don’t think. I can’t remember when she—Eleanor?—figures it out. The love imbued in her crafts gives people a one-time defense against the killing curse. It wasn’t the first fic I read, that was probably pjo and I was very careful about not revealing my presence on fan websites to family members, but it was recced to me by my older sister back when I was 8 or so and I asked her for the title about a year after joining Wattpad, which I did almost immediately after getting that rec) I will share the fic link soon, my dear friends, but I have more to say first

I finished a coloring page I was working on digitally, and I think it looks nice! I’ll show you guys soon, but I’m thinking I might add some lighting effects first—I shaded the lady in the picture with no clear direction for the light source because it was easier to think about at first. I think I planned to add a specific light direction after getting all of the details down, so that’s what I’m going to do! And then I’ll show you, of course.

I am planning on attempting to turn my closet space into an office space (my room was originally supposed to be two rooms, so the closet space is actually big enough to do this if I take some stuff out)

I got caught up on Lore Olympus! Love that story.

I’m attempting to draw some patches for a friends jacket: I warned him that I’m really not that great of an artist, but he doesnt appear to care so flowers it is

[justsome-di]

Now a Pulitzer Prize winning book (don’t fact check this, just trust me) and featured on Obama’s 2023 Summer Reading List!

You should be reading Nobody Ends Up Dead in a Bathtub, Everyone Keeps Their Organs! Why? See above.

It’s a good story if I do say so myself. And if you read it, you’re a cool kid. Don’t you want to be a cool kid? This is something called peer pressure, and it usually works.

But for real, if you read Nobody Ends Up Dead then you’re going to go on a good adventure with good characters I guarantee you will love. Not to brag, but it is a pretty good story. There’s funny one-liners, a cute plot, and relatable characters that have been developed for years. Just heed warnings at the beginning of chapters. NEUD deals with some heavy topics such as eating disorders.

NEUD is officially all online for free. But you can still access bonus chapters and short stories on Patreon for only $4.

Links: 

AO3

Wattpad

Patreon (Patrons had early access to the whole novel and also get exclusive short stories with the characters and sneak peaks for new projects!)

Netflix Previews

Characters’ Playlists

You can also check out my carrd if there are any updates to how/where I post, it’ll probably be the most accurate place to find new or updated links.

Transcript under cut:

The Story is Dope

A New York office worker and a sex worker get set up on a date--one thinking it's a real blind date, the other under the impression it's an ordinary appointment. After realizing it was all a shitty prank, they set out for revenge. Their plan: show up to an upcoming Halloween office party as a genuine couple, convincing the pranksters they genuinely fell in love and refusing to let themselves become the butt of the joke.

Our main characters are Alex, an awkward admin assistant for a medical company who hasn't been on a date since he was a teenager, and Damián, a sex worker who seems way out of Alex's league but keeps insisting on spending time with him so they can perfect their revenge scheme.

The novel features a diverse cast and explores sex positivity. I also like to believe that it portrays sex work well. Damián is a hardworking man, doing what he loves, and meeting mostly great people along the way--but he also would benefit greatly if sex work was decriminalized and therefore had better resources at his disposal.

If you're looking for a story with LGBT characters that's mostly light-hearted but still packs a punch every few chapters, this is it! Overall, it's a happy story.

The Characters!

oh boy the characters!

we got Damián who's hardworking and doting on his lil bro but oh wow does he have some angst

we got Alex who is nothing more than a burning ball of anxiety trying his best--all too relatable

Leo, Damián's bro, is an ally, and he will make sure everyone knows. Also has angst.

Eve, Alex's lil sister, is an edgy teen who's failing calc and runs a queer book club

together, they're a weird lil dysfunctional family

I'll be honest. There's a lot of love in this story. From me and among the characters. The characters love each other, and I think the readers love them, too.

It touches on a lot of loneliness--inspired by how I've felt since Covid started--and a lot of the conflicting emotions that come with being gay. What happy endings do we deserve? What about happy middles?

It's a touching book about learning to be a better person and finding people who love you--platonically and romantically.

Here are some of my fave parts:

And then there was a streak of gray hair that shocked Alex. A streak of gray hair off to the side, nestled close to a salt and pepper beard. Textured hands held cocktails. Little, subtle lines creased when mouths laughed. Alex held his breath. On the packed floor, they were the only people Alex could see. They were laughing and holding each other and enjoying themselves, firmly in the place they knew they belonged. Flashes of teeth pressed against each other, disappearing for long seconds at a time.

--

“Sorry,” Alex said. “Your arm got heavy on top of me.” “You’re a little mouse of a man. I didn’t mean to crush you.” “I’m what?”

--

“A dog!” Damián cooed as he sat across from the lesbians. “His name is Yam,” Martin said.

“His name is Yam,” Damián cried. Kris and Clara released Yam and gently nudged him to Damián. Ecstatic, Damián picked him up and set him on his lap. “His name is Yam,” he repeated to Alex. “I heard.”

--

But he couldn’t deny that he was having a good time. It was like intense yoga with the perk of having a cock shoved up his ass. He was going to feel limber as fuck after.

--

“Can I do anything?” Alex asked. “To help cheer you up?”

“You don’t have to worry about me.”

“I’d like to. If you let me.”

--

“Wow this sounds great where can I read it?”

Tumblr @justsome-di

Watpadd @justsome-di

Patreon @just some di (link on Tumblr)

AO3 @justsome_di

Updates every friday!

[creativepawsworld]

Silence - Chapter 38

Pairing = Thomas Shelby x Reader

Summary = Tommy figures out who the Adler's were really indebted to, the realisation scaring Ana. 

Warnings = Language, Grammar, Violence mentioned, Gang Activity. 

Word Count = 1994

Note = Sorry its late :( I was a lot under the weather as they say and my head just wasn’t in writing...Anyway here it is a little update, Tommy knows so we will probably see a much more protective side of him I guess you could say? Plus for you fluff lovers, it is coming over the next few chapters, I have made notes of all your comments and hope to incorapte  them. 

Thank you all so much for the continuous support it means so much love you all, I love reading your thoughts and talking with you about my take on the characters...Especially Ana she is like my sister now lol. Much love 

Tommy had left the flat rather early this morning for work. Something I was grateful for as it meant I could avoid the inevitable question of why I wasn’t going into work for that little bit longer. 

Being in Tommy’s arms last night was enough to ease my racing emotions. I had relaxed in his embrace, not wanting to drag up what I learned throughout the day to ruin it. 

Nothing was said between us, we just held each other and it continued throughout the night and to this morning before he left for work.  It had felt completely natural, like the outside world didn’t exist. It was complete bliss.

But it quickly ended by mid afternoon when Tommy returned home with an unreadable expression on his face. Stopping just behind the couch, he removed the peaked cap from his head, his eyes watching me fix the hem on a pair of his trousers.

“Would you like some lunch Tommy?” I asked placing the garment on the table, resting the needle and thread on top, glancing at the small clock on the mantle piece. 

“No, what happened yesterday Stace, eh?” He asked shrugging off his coat, folding it over his fore arm before resting it over the back of the sofa.

“Nothing.” I inform him with a sigh, standing to my feet I turned my back to him, walking into the open planned kitchen to fill the teapot with water.

“Then how come your not at work eh?”

“Why aren’t you?” I countered back, turning the hob up full, sparing the man a glance over my shoulder, a perfectly raised eyebrow of my own thrown at him. 

“Your father came into my office, wanted me to deliver this to you.” He spoke, holding up a white envelope in his hand.

Squinting my eyes at the paper between his fingers, I brushed off the invisible lint off my dress before turning towards him, reaching out to take the envelope from his hands only for him to pull it away at the last second.

“What’s going on love?” He asked, a surprising softness to his voice.

“It’s between me and them Tommy now give me the letter.” I tell him with a huff, stretching my smaller frame against his. One hand rested on his chest for support while the other reached into the air, reaching for the letter.

“That’s not how this works Stace, especially when your father comes into my work place during office hours.”

“Why? You afraid he walks in on you and Lizzie?” I huffed in frustration.

Just as I went to step back from his space, his free hand wrapped around my hip pulling me tighter into him, keeping me in place.

“There would be nothing for him to walk in on Stace” He scoffed with a roll of his blue eyes, the arm with the letter faltering slightly. “This jealous is getting out of control love.”

“Oh please Tommy every time I go into that office she is throwing herself at you and you say nothing to her, nothing. You just let her away with it. What if I did that to another man?” I challenged, glancing up at the letter before glaring at the slightly taller man in front of me.

“He wouldn’t have his eyes to enjoy it.” 

“Maybe I’ll take her eyes so she doesn’t get to enjoy you.” I threaten, using this moment of weakness within him to snatch the letter from his grip.

Smiling triumphantly I was about to rub the letter in his face but stopped myself when he looked at me, with nothing but pure adoration in his eyes, a small smile of his own working on his own lips.

“What?” I asked unsure at his change of expression. Instead of answering his hand came up, resting on the side of my face, stroking along my cheekbone with his thumb.

Leaning into his touch, my eyes fluttered shut as he held me close. His natural scent of smoke and wood invading my nostrils as I fell into his embrace, tingles rushing through my body at his love.

“What happened love? Talk to me” He whispered against my lips pressing a loving, yet possessive kiss to them once he finished speaking.

Moaning against his mouth, my hands wandered up his chest linking together behind his neck, the letter dropping to the floor as I surrendered to him. 

“You can’t do that Tommy.” I breathed pulling away from him, resting my forehead against his. “You can’t act all sweet and kiss me like that and expect to get answers.”

“No?” He chuckled, blue eyes lightening up with mischief. Reaching forward he placed short, sweet kisses against my cheeks and lips causing a laugh to fall from my lips. “Talk to me, please. I just want to help.” He pleaded, giving me his best puppy dog eyes. 

Just as I was about to respond, the teapot in the kitchen began to scream, spewing hot water all over the place. I turned to deal with it only Tommy had rushed around me, grabbing the drying cloth from the side to move the spewing pot onto a back ring, out of harms way.

“Tommy, it’s nothing I will deal with it. You have enough going on with Churchill, Campbell, the pub and whatever else you don’t tell me about.”  I tell him bending over to lift the letter he had brought home off the ground to place on the table.

“Right now I’m here for you Stace. The other stuff can wait eh.” He explained, shrugging the suit jacket from his shoulders, resting the clothing around the edge of the chair.

“What does he want you to do Tommy?” I asked, picking at the edges of the letter, avoiding all eye contact with him, but I could feel it. I felt his graze, burning through me as I finished my sentence.

“Nothing…”

“I need to worry about, yeah I got that part” I nodded with a tight smile, it was the same thing he always said whenever I asked about his business.. “Do you see us working Tommy? Honestly?” I asked catching the man in front of me completely off guard.

“Wha? Why would you ask me that?” He breathed, eyebrows furrowed down over his eyes as he thought about what I had just said.

“All we do is keep secrets from each other, you especially. Would I have even known about Campbell’s secret mission if I hadn’t of been in that office last night?”

“Stace…”

“No seriously Tommy, you trust every other woman in your life but me with information.”

“Because I am trying to keep you safe.” He defended, careful not to raise his voice but I could see the tension building in his neck. “I want to protect you, I don’t care about them, they are a means to an end.” 

“You are putting me in more danger keeping things from me, why can’t you see that?.” I questioned, the words leaving my mouth before I could even think about them.

“I am not stupid Tommy, I know what you have done, what you are capable of doing and yet I am still here, choosing you, loving you. Bearing a child with you. I don’t want them growing up in a world of lies, of secrets and betrayal.” I trailed off in a whisper, tears spilling from my eyes. 

“Stace, knowing that kind of information, there is no coming back from that.” Tommy tried to reason, reaching forward placing a supportive hand on my arm. “I just want to protect you.”

“And I appreciate that Tommy but I can’t handle anymore secrets, anymore lies. I need you to be upfront and honest with me, about everything.” I explained to him, turning my body into his, resting my hands on his chest, staring up into his eyes which were swirling with so many emotions it was hard to pinpoint just one.

“What happened at the shop Stace?” He asked knowing this emotional response was caused by more than his line of work. 

“They sold me Tommy, sold me off like I was some kind of garment or piece of meat” I cried, burying my head into his chest, not wanting to see the look on his face at my words. 

I felt Tommy’s body stiffen against me, his hands squeezed at my hips, holding me against him, allowing me to cry and soak his waistcoat with my tears. Nothing was said between us but I could feel the cogs turning in Tommy’s mind as he held me close.

“I knew they didn’t really care for me, not really but to sell me off to settle a debt. Did I really mean so little? Do I really mean so little?” I asked not anticipating a response but the words caught his full attention. 

His hands wrapped around my upper arms pulling me from his body so he could look directly into my red, puffy eyes as he spoke.

“You mean the world and more to the people who actually care about you Stace. Polly, Arthur, John, Finn, even fucking Esme and all your nieces and nephews, care for you. Your brother James, god rest his soul loved you more than this world and then there is me, words are not enough to describe what you mean to me, eh.” His voice was forceful, but loving as he spoke.

“But why aren’t I good enough for them?”

“You don’t want my answer Anastasia but they are not worth shit if they can’t see your true worth, yeah.” His voice determined, his hands now squeezing the side of my cheeks, smooshing my face slightly to try and emphasise the points he was making.

“You sound like Polly.” I chuckled, reaching up and wiping the wetness as best I could on my dress sleeve but the tears were still coming. 

“I was raised by the woman, she speaks nothing but the truth.” He smiled, both thumbs brushing the tears from the apple of my cheeks towards my hairline. “Who did they owe a debt to eh?”

“To you” I answered catching him by surprise.

It was like a penny had dropped inside his mind, letting go of my face he stepped away from me, running a hand over his mouth, his eyes trained on the ceiling above him as his mind raced. Two simple words adding to the already never ending work load he chose to carry alone. 

“Tommy” I asked cautiously stepping towards him, placing a hand on his forearm, gently pushing his hand down away from his mouth.

“We were focused on the wrong Italians Stace, the wrong fucking Italians.” He laughed out bitterly. Pouting his lips,  I could see the outline of his tongue running along his top teeth in deep thought. 

“What do you mean?” I asked how many Italians where there around Birmingham? 

Tommy just glanced down at me, a small smile on his face taking my hands in his once more. There was a sincere look on his face as he looked into my eyes, his grip on my hands tightening.

“You are mine Anastasia Adler, never forget that.” He spoke without so much of a blink of his eyes. “I will protect you, nothing will happen to you or to our baby.”

“Tommy your scaring me.” I whispered, feeling a little intimidated under his intense stare.

“The people your parents are mixed up with Stace belong to the Italian Mafia, a much bigger problem than Sabini and the fact you were promised to one of them…means they won’t give you up so easily.”

“Tommy, Tommy no. No, I don’t want them, I don’t…” I panicked, trying to pull myself away from his grip but he wouldn’t allow it. Pulling me closer in his body, sshing me.

“I know, I know. They won’t get you, they won’t lay a single finger on you I promise.”

 Taglist 

@shelbyteller @seleneshelby @forgottenpeakywriter @babayaga67 @sweetmilkshakeluminary @slutforcoffein @sydneyyyya @happysparklingshadows @margew76   @midnightmagpiemama​ 

[prince-rowan-of-the-forest]

Crown Princes and Butterfly Wings (4/?)

Chapter 3 : Magic Spells

—-

The trio leave Farfalia and finally start the journey properly - i.e, with breakfast pancakes. Unfortunately, Roman is beginning to think he might end up a third wheel to his two friends.

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@cutebisexualmess :)

—-

Gooood afternoon everyone!!

I might start posting these more frequently because updating weekly feels really slow. But only if I manage to write more in advance. Look out for surprise Wednesday updates every now and then.

I'm considering starting an ask blog over on Tumblr for the characters of this au and a few others (namely Across Land And Water, the New Year's fic au and my Darkside Roman AU) so if anyone would be interested let me know??

It might not happen until I post a little more for this and my New Year's au that I need a name for. But hopefully that won't take long. Lol.

But yea lmk! (I did make a post specifically about it so you can find that too if you want.

They had realised very quickly that their supply of gold to spend was much more limited than they had first realised.

Over the course of the day, the three of them had gone around town together (during which time Logan refused to let Roman out of his sight) and gathered up all of the necessary items. They had gotten a spare set of clothes for Logan, along with camping gear as well as a few other things they had spotted and decided they might need.

After that, they had returned to the tavern and paid for another night, before splitting off to their own rooms to get a good night’s sleep so they could begin their journey in the morning. In Roman and Logan’s room though, Logan had pulled out the gold they had been given by the palace and counted out what they had left, only to realise that they had way less than they had originally thought.

“We are going to have to learn to live sparingly,” Logan had said solemnly. “We cannot afford luxuries every night if this mission is to take us as long as I currently believe it might.”

Roman sighed. “That’s… alright, we can deal with that, right?”

“I certainly can,” Logan said, a small smile on his face. “I don’t know about you, however, you spoilt prince.”

“Hey!” Roman yelped. “That’s so mean! I’m not spoilt!”

“Yes, Roman, you are.” Logan rolled his eyes. “You have people to bring you breakfast in a tray to your room every morning. You were confused when we didn’t wake up to people waiting on our every whim this morning.”

“I- I can get used to it,” Roman said, suddenly slightly unsure. Could he? Really? It was such a strange and drastic lifestyle change. “At least, I am able to do my best.”

“You are trying, and I can respect that.” Logan nodded. “It’s alright, at least now we have Patton to help.”

Roman gasped. “Is this a hint of positivity towards our new companion I hear?”

“It would be untrue to say that he didn’t prove that he was helpful to us today,” Logan said, looking away. “He is strange, but I’ll admit, he seems to be a worthy companion.”

“Are you… embarrassed?” Roman asked, frowning in confusion—Logan was never embarrassed about anything. “Why are you…”

“It’s- nothing important, I don’t think.” Logan shook his head. “Just a feeling I have yet to identify, but I’m sure I’ll figure it out in time, do not worry yourself.”

Roman could only stare at Logan, who stared back with a neutral expression, nothing there that Roman could read, as usual. He supposed he’d have to give in to this one.

“Alllright then,” Roman said slowly, “I suppose I will see you in the morning?”

“Of course you will, we’re sleeping in the same room,” Logan said, gesturing to the space as he laid down on the bed. 

Roman sighed. “I mean- nevermind. Sweet dreams to you, goodnight.”

“Goodnight, Roman.”

—-

The next day started well, In Roman’s opinion. They had woken up early and Patton had insisted that they get breakfast at a place further down mainstreet than the inn to ‘celebrate the beginning of a great adventure!’ Logan had insisted that it was unnecessary, considering that their adventure had already started. Patton and Roman—though it was mainly Patton—had eventually managed to convince him and they had gotten pancakes together. The shop sold amazing pancakes and Roman made a mental note to find out the recipe they used and provide it to the palace chefs when they returned. 

It was still early enough in the morning when they actually began to walk that Logan remained happy, and with only minor distractions (mainly on Roman’s part—he really wasn’t good at staying focused) they had left the capital around noon. By the time the sun had begun to set they were well along the forest road. Patton had stopped them not long after and informed them that setting up camp was probably a good idea for now.

From Logan’s map, they had concluded that they had somehow made more progress than he had originally planned, having already passed over the stream and taken the left fork in the road. They would only have another two days’ travel to complete after they set off the next day.

—-

“You talked about magic, back in the inn,” Patton stated as they looked over the little camp that they had put together under his direction. Logan turned and nodded.

“I am a practising wizard,” Logan said. “Why do you point this out?”

“Well um- see I’m not sure how much you know about the wilderness,” Patton said, sitting down next to the firepit they had built and pulling out a matchbox from his pack. “But there can sometimes be gangs of bandits who camp in the forest and like to ambush other camps to steal their stuff, so I- uh- I was just thinking if it wasn’t too much trouble, maybe- um- maybe there was some kind of magic spell to protect or hide our camp?”

“Ah, I see.” Logan nodded. “That should be simple enough, as long as you give me a little time.”

“Alright!” Patton smiled. “I don’t have much magic, so I don’t know that much about it, but I know it can do all sorts o’ cool stuff, so I thought I’d ask.”

“Magic can be very powerful indeed.” Logan nodded. “A concealment spell is incredibly simple to perform, however, do you have any magic at all?”

“Barely,” Patton said with a roll of his eyes, before lifting his hand. Slowly, specks of light began to appear around his fingers, which started getting brighter and brighter, like a match lighting in slow motion. “This is about all I can do, I’m- uh- human- and we’re not really known for magical abilities…”

“That is impressive, and could be fairly useful in certain situations,” Logan told him. Roman was pretty sure Patton blushed, but the light from his hand fizzled out before he could get a good look. While they talked he moved to sit down on the fallen log they had found and chosen to build their camp around.

“You- you think so?” Patton asked as he struck the match to light the fire. 

“Of course.” Logan nodded. “It would be very useful as a signal, or to find your way in the dark, negating the need for fire, it could also be a way to help us find you if you were to get lost, for example. You could also use it in combat as a method of incapacitating people by temporarily blinding them, if you can make it brighter.”

“Wow I- I never thought about any of that!” Patton said, smiling at Logan. Roman looked silently back and forth between them both as Logan’s star freckles brightened. The prince furrowed his brow, though the pair couldn’t see him in the dark. “I’m not really- um- one for combat, though.”

“No, I wouldn’t have guessed you were,” Logan said “In a battle setting I would probably have placed you in a healers tent, just from the aura you give off alone.”

Patton laughed, like tinkling bells and Roman narrowed his eyes at Logan, from whom he thought he heard a hitch of breath.

“Funny you say that,” Patton said after his giggles subsided. “I actually know bits and pieces about medicine—my mamma runs the apothecary in our hometown.”

“Ah, medicine is a very useful practice to know about.” Logan nodded. “I am training to become a wizard, as we mentioned. Speaking of, now would be a good time to set up a concealment spell. If you’ll excuse me…”

“Ok!” Patton nodded, coming to sit down next to Roman whilst Logan moved away to start working on the spell. Roman turned to face him, wondering what on earth he’d just witnessed, it had almost looked like… 

“What about you, then?” Patton asked him, interrupting his train of thought. “Have you got magic?”

“Some.” Roman nodded in response. “I am not nearly as powerful as Logan is, however, nor my brother—my specialities lie in swordfighting, rather than magic.”

“Oh, neat!” Patton said with a smile, though he didn’t seem quite as enthused as he had been when talking to Logan. Granted he was still friendly and Roman didn’t feel like Patton liked him any less, he just thought… something was different. “You’re good with a sword?”

“Indeed!” Roman answered with a smile. “And a few spells, although they are mainly combat focused ones.”

“I see! I’ll be trusting you then, if our camp is ambushed by bandits,” Patton said, elbowing him with a grin before standing up to poke and prod at the fire with a stick. Roman smiled.

“You should trust in Logan’s spells, first and foremost, they almost never fail.”

“One time!” Logan called from across the clearing. “A spell went wrong one time and this is the treatment I get?” 

“I trust your spells, Logan,” Patton said with an odd kind of grin that made Roman feel like fake-gagging just to prove a point. 

“Thank you, Patton,” Logan said, before standing at the edge of the circle and murmuring a few nonsense spell words from some forgotten language. The runes he had drawn in the ground began to glow dimly, though they seemed bright in the dark. Patton stared at them, seemingly transfixed as the light pulsed once, twice, before shooting upward and forming a shimmering dome over them, then fading as if there was never any magic there in the first place.

“...woah,” Patton breathed, leaning back and looking up at the stars. “That was… beautiful.”

“Um,” Logan said eloquently, with a sort of choked off cough and Roman was glad for the darkness hiding the way his face split into a shit-eating grin, because he’d finally realised what was going on with his friend. “Er- thank you- I’m… glad you think so.”

Roman could barely contain a snort of laughter. He was pretty sure Logan was bright purple and Patton was no doubt smiling from ear to ear as the pair continued to talk for the best part of an hour whilst Roman tried in vain to fall asleep. 

—-

Sleeping on the ground was an experience, and not a good one. Roman was uncomfortable, even with the mat and sleeping bags they’d bought. He thought he really couldn’t be blamed for that, he’d never slept on anything less than the perfect mattress before going on this trip so going from that to the literal dirt was a shock to his system. Doing it three nights in a row had done absolutely nothing to help this discomfort, in fact it had been almost bearable after the first night and just gotten worse from there.

When he woke up on the third morning, everything ached, his neck hurt and his shoulders were locked up. His back felt like it had been pulled and the feeling didn’t seem to go away no matter how much Roman stretched. Logan even had the audacity to laugh at him as he packed up in a grump. He thought his feelings were valid. Logan could make fun of him all he wanted for being a stuck up Prince who was uncomfortable sleeping in dirt. Screw him!

“Are we nearly there?” Roman grumbled, holding onto his bag straps. He really wanted to let his wings out for a flutter. He already felt so cooped up despite it only being the sixth day of their adventure. Obviously he couldn’t do that—not if he didn’t want Patton to know who he was, anyway. 

“We’ve been walking for half an hour,” Patton said with a laugh, nudging his arm. “C’mon, cheer up!”

“I feel as though I’ve been run over by a carriage,” Roman grumbled, glaring at Patton, who really started laughing now.

“You’ll get used to it,” Logan told him. “For now, you’ll just have to deal with it, now stop moping if you will, we still have hours to walk and I really don’t want to have to deal with such a sour mood.”

Roman groaned. “Aren’t you supposed to respect me or something?”

“You’re the one who decided to bring another person along,” Logan pointed out, Patton waved as he acknowledged.

“Why does that mean you can’t respect him?” Patton asked, tilting his head a little as they walked.

“There is a lot of information you can’t be privy to,” Logan told him. “I would like to be as transparent as possible, but there are a lot of things we simply cannot tell you about ourselves and our mission. I hope you can understand.”

“...Alright.” Patton nodded. “You guys have your secrets, I know how important secrets can be, it’s okay.”

“Thank you, Patton,” Roman said with a half smile. “Really, though, couldn’t either of you have warned me about the repercussions of sleeping on the ground?”

“Sorry, kiddo,” Patton said with a shrug. “I’m pretty much used to it, so I didn’t think to warn you.”

Roman groaned, but nodded and tried his best to brighten up a little bit as they continued on their way.

—-

Just as Farfalia was lively and full of light and sound, Mirefeld was dingy and quiet. There were few people out on the streets and those who were sculked in corners and edges. It shot a feeling of unease straight down Roman’s spine that made him stand up straighter, much more alert now that they had entered the town proper. 

Despite the sun still being up in the sky as afternoon was only just beginning to become evening, the light was blocked out by dark smoke billowing from chimneys. The ground was stained with soot and the windows in the buildings were fogged with dirt. Roman folded his arms, tucking his hands against his body almost as though he was giving himself a hug. This place felt off in a way he couldn’t quite explain. 

“Come on,” Patton whispered, catching their attention in the eerie silence, “the inn is this way.”

Patton had spoken in hushed tones to the bartender, who looked like he could fold Roman like a lawn chair if he so much as stepped wrong. Neither he nor Logan had spoken since they’d gotten here, but Roman could almost tell that his friend felt the same way about all of this as he did. 

They were still in his kingdom, and knowing that was the only thing that brought him comfort in this situation. If he were to reveal his identity the guards would come to their protection. So at least there was that.

—-

“Alright,” Patton told them when they finally stood in one of the rooms they had rented, away from the oppressive atmosphere of the rest of the town.

“This place gives me an odd feeling,” Roman said slowly. “I would prefer it if we didn’t stay here for any longer than necessary.”

“I am inclined to agree.” Logan nodded. “I would like to get the information we need and then leave as soon as possible.”

“Yeah, I- I think I underestimated how much you two wouldn’t fit in,” Patton said, with a strained laugh.

“That's alright, now, you mentioned, back in the capital, that taverns were the best place for information gathering,” Logan said. “So I suppose we should start here?”

“Yep.” Patton nodded. “Let’s go downstairs and see what information we get from the locals, alright?”

“That sounds like a plan,” Roman said, placing his pack down on one of the beds. “Logan?”

“That is the best plan we have right now, so I suppose we will follow your lead, Patton,” Logan nodded. Patton smiled back before leading them out of the room and back down into the tavern below.

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[theonewiththefanfics]

Tomato - Tomato (one-shot)

Synopsis: One is an international rock-star. The other is his loyal assistant. Both are complete morons in love. Also - she’s allergic to tomatoes, and it is important.

This started off as something completely else. hope you enjoy :D

Pairing: Harry Styles x fem!Assistant!Reader

Genre: fluff, minor angst

Warnings: two idiots pining for one another, swearing, mentions of allergies and EpiPens

Word count: 3492

Being an assistant to someone famous wasn’t all glamourous parties and wild nights out with celebrities. It was scheduling last minute flights and not sleeping for three days straight as you packed a million bags and then repacked because their stylist sent you knew pieces and the old ones no longer fit the aesthetic of the week.           It was also making sure that they were up by six AM with a hot coffee at their bedside ready to help them wake up as you lay out a detailed plan of the day down to the minute, while you yourself basically only had a two-hour nap because you had to finish off 568 handwritten notes to be sent out to each of the contacts in their phone. Or at least that’s what Y/N’s life was like being the personal assistant to none other than the modern-day prince of rock Harry Styles.            Said rockstar was actually still asleep when Y/N entered his room, ripping open the curtains and letting in the rising sun. He groaned, pulling up the bedsheets that’d ridden down his form during the night. “Not that I don’t like seeing your gorgeous face in the mornings….” he mumbled into the covers. “But I don’t like seeing your face in the mornings when they start at six bloody AM.”           Y/N snorted and rolled her eyes, rubbing them in an attempt to get rid of the sleep that still lingered in her own body. “You were the one that said you’re fine with seeing Lambert at eight for a fitting.”           “When did I say that?” Harry scoffed, only the top of his messy bedhead seen from the cocoon he’d built around himself.           “Would you like me to pull up the text messages, the calendar or the e-mails?”           Even with her back turned as she rummaged through his closet for him to put on some clothes, she could sense the middle finger he threw at her, and she smiled.           Despite everything, despite the zero sleep and stress always coursing through her veins, Y/N loved working for him. He treated her as a friend, not just some lackey he paid to, but most importantly, comparatively to the other people she’d worked for in the same line of business – he treated her as a human.           If something went over the deadline, Harry didn’t scream or yell at her and tell Y/N how incompetent she was, instead he asked what kind of help or assistance she needed to get the job done, or maybe if she just needed some time off to gather herself and look at the problem with fresh eyes.           “I hate how organised you are,” Harry groaned, finally throwing the covers off.           “If I wasn’t, you’d be in a ditch somewhere.”           She heard him scoff and two feet plop against the hardwood floor as he made his way towards her. “Is that how little faith you have in me?”           “You don’t even know what day it is!”           “Who does in these times?”           Y/N shrugged her shoulders and handed him a pair of boxers, some loose jeans, and a flowery Hawaiian shirt. “Are you telling me I’m wrong though?”           She looked over to her side, a smirk playing on her lips while he squinted his green eyes at her. “No, but it doesn’t mean I like getting called out, especially this early in the morning.”

          With a roll of her eyes and a shove at his shoulder for him to move to the bathroom, Y/N handed him the clothes, moving downstairs to start making him some light breakfast and get herself a cold glass of water.           You see, she’d been working as his assistant for close to two years, and they’d grown not only as people around one another, challenging their beliefs and world views, but as friends too. And, well, Y/N would be lying if the emotions hadn’t evolved from platonic to falling in love. Not that she’d ever admit it. He was an international sensation, and she was the girl who got him vegetarian croissants at the airport.           She dragged a hand down her face as she clicked the stove on and took out a carton of eggs from the fridge. Y/N knew how he liked his omelette to the T, mostly because when she’d spent the first night of quarantine with him a year prior right as the pandemic had started, Harry had wanted to do something nice because she couldn’t go and see her family any more, so he’d gotten up at seven to make breakfast for both of them. The only problem was, he hadn’t asked if she had any allergies, so as he added bits of tomatoes, parsley, cheese and scallions, Harry hadn’t expected Y/N’s eyes to go wide at the first bite as she dropped the fork.           “Harry…” Her tone had been cautious. “What’s in this?”           He was sweating. Was his cooking really that bad? He just wanted to do something nice and there he was screwing everything up. “ ‘S just some of my favourite things. I’m sorry I didn’t ask, I just thought you’d like it.”            “I do, but this tastes like it has tomatoes in it.”           He nodded. “Yeah. It does.”           Gently she smiled at him and pushed the plate a bit further away. “Could you grab me a coat, and if you have any – an EpiPen?”           “An Epi – oh shit!” When the realisation hit him, Harry was jumping out of his seat, running to one of the cupboards and rummaging through in a panic all the while apologies flew non-stop from his mouth.           Y/N in the meantime had gathered her purse and mask, making a call to the nearest hospital to explain the situation to which they responded they’d be waiting for her arrival.           “I’m so sorry!” Harry ran up to her, a first-aid kit in his shaking hands. “Please don’t die! I didn’t want to kill you, I promise! I just wanted to make you some breakfast cause you do so much for me, and now you’re stuck here, and – oh god,” he cried. “I’m going to be prosecuted for killing my assistant.”           She didn’t mean to, but the snort came out of her nose either way. “Harry.” She put a hand on his shoulder. “Please calm down. I’m not going to die.”           “You’re allergic!”           “Yes, I am, but I only had a small bite. The ER is just a precaution.” Y/N took his palms in hers and squeezed them. “Now take a deep breath with me…” They did so, holding it for five seconds and letting it out for eight. “And calm down a bit. I’ll go give myself the shot, and then I’ll drive to the hospital.”           “Let me,” Harry begged. “Please, let me at least drive you to the emergency room. God, I almost killed you with an omelette, it’s the least I can do. I – I could also help you with the shot, I won’t hit an artery, I promise -”           “Harry, you’re barely coherent. Not to say anything, but you’d have a bigger chance of killing me in a car crash, than from that tomato.” Y/N gave him a smile. “I’m gonna be fine.”           With that, she left him to venture into the bathroom and did the unpleasant part of stabbing herself in the thigh to alleviate her body from the allergy symptoms. She sat there for around five minutes before she felt that the swelling of her tongue and itching in her throat was starting to subside, which meant the epinephrine was working.           “Okay,” she huffed, taking her purse from the couch where Harry had been sitting, hugging the accessory. “I’ll be back in probably around two hours. Do we need anything from the store?”           He shook his head. “Just come back home, please.”           Y/N would never admit how her heart thundered in her chest when Harry said to come back ‘home’. “I will.” She promised. “Don’t you worry. You’re not getting rid of me that easy, Styles. The money’s too good.” She winked at him and then left Harry pouting on the couch, but she couldn’t get through the door, before he jumped up, yelling, “wait! Do I need to get rid of every tomato in the house?”           “No,” she laughed. “I’m good to be around them. Even touch them. ‘S just my insides that don’t agree with it when they meet.”           “Okay.” He nodded, hands on his hips. “Alright. I’ll uh – I’ll be waiting. I’ll make you something else.”           “There’s no need for that, Harry.”           His eyes widened at her words. “I swear I’m not trying to murder you!”           “Oh my god,” she muttered shaking her head. “Just – just relax. Okay. I’ll send you hourly updates.”           He bit his lip. “Make it every ten minutes.”           “Harry –,”           “Please?” The way he was giving her puppy dog eyes melted her heart.           With an eye-roll, Y/N waved at him and promised to update her boss at every possible moment and confirm that he hadn’t, in fact, been the reason for her demise. Well, he was the reason for the demise of her low standards in men, having taken them and thrown them up to the Moon, but unless her feelings were miraculously requited or if one of the Marvel characters, she was obsessed with came to life, she’d have to stick to what was available. And in her mind, that wasn’t Harry.           “What are you thinking about?” His voice startled Y/N out of the memory, and she shook her head, adding salt and pepper to the beaten eggs.           She shrugged. “Just about that time a year ago where you secretly tried to off me because you were too nice to say you didn’t wanna quarantine together.”           The groan he let out was of royal embarrassment, and it put a wide smile on her face, as she took one of the forsaken fruits and started to chop the red ball into small pieces.           “You’ll never let me live it down, are you?”           Y/N raised her eyebrow at him. “Your failed murder attempt?” She snorted. “Of course not! It’s like you don’t watch the crime shows and murder documentaries when I have them on. You really haven’t learned anything.”           Harry stuck his tongue out at her and moved to her side, dropping some chives into the mix as well. “Well given how it wasn’t a murder attempt, I wouldn’t consider it a fail.”           Her hip bumped his, and only then did Y/N really give him a once-over. As always, he looked amazing in whatever was on his body, but what made him even cuter in her eyes was the sleepiness still lingering in him.           Harry’s movements were a little bit sluggish, eyes half-closed and small sighs passing his lips as he sipped onto the coffee she’d come to his place with. The shirt sat loosely on his body, the first two buttons left open while he’d tucked the bottom of it into the jeans, having found a Gucci belt and cinched it around his waist, giving it a more eighties look rather than the sixties vibe he usually had with his suits.           The brown hair was still messy and dishevelled, and Y/N could barely, just barely restrain herself from running her fingers through it, but what she didn’t know Harry was struggling just as much.           All he wanted to do was pull out the bottom lip Y/N had gotten in between her teeth and kiss her senseless, to have her fingers dig into his arms and leave crescent shaped imprints on his skin.           “So, uh…” He had to start a conversation otherwise his mouth would find itself on Y/N’s mouth in a second. “What’s Lambert got in his schedule? How many outfits is he thinking?”           “Two or three, I think,” she said, pouring the mixture on the pan and letting the slow sizzle erupt around them. “He’s got this one suit which I think you’ll really like – all leather, but it needs to be altered.”           Harry hummed, and for a second both of them relished in the domestic feel of it all. They’d had many moments like it before, especially during the spring and summer seasons of 2020, and Y/N couldn’t help but relish in her memories at them.           “Harry?” It was like her voice snapped him out from a trance. “Could you pass me a plate please?’           “Uh, yeah,” he stammered for a moment and then nodded, wordlessly going to a cupboard and taking out a white marbled plate. That single piece of kitchenware probably cost more than her life insurance, but it was definitely aesthetic if nothing else.           Silently Y/N plopped the omelette onto the plate, placing it on the kitchen counter and went to get him a fork, however when she turned around, he was facing her, chewing quite agressively on the inside of his cheek.           “You okay?” she asked, coming closer. “I can call Lambert, reschedule it for later. He wouldn’t be too happy about having to wake up and then – “           But Harry shook his head. “It’s not that.”           “Then what?”           He didn’t say anything. It was like he was trying to decipher the best course of action, and when he ultimately did, Y/N was pressed up against the counter, Harry’s forehead against hers with two ring-clad hands cupping her cheeks.           “Harry,” she breathed, out her lips brushing his making the air in her lungs hitch. “What are you doing?”           “Something I’ve been dying to do for a year now. If you let me that is.”           “I -,” The words were muddled up in her head. Of course, Y/N wanted him to kiss her, she wanted him to ravish every part of her body. The fantasies and dreams she’d had at night would be incriminating proof if her feelings were on trial, but despite it all, her brain was usually in charge and would overrule any decision made by her heart. “Harry, we can’t.” She whispered, voice breaking.           “I -,” Horror morphed onto his features as he took a step back. “Did I misread the signals? Did I do something you don’t wan –“           “No.” She grabbed onto his cheeks, trying to calm him down, his body practically melting into hers. “I do.” She didn’t need to explain what she meant. He understood. “So much it hurts me sometimes… but Harry, you’re my boss. My employer. It… it wouldn’t be right.”           “Why? How can it not be right, when it feels like the rightest thing in the world?”           “Because, Harry,” she huffed. “You’re my boss. And what’s worse – I love working for you!”           That made both of them laugh, the tone of her voice as if she was more annoyed than anything else. “ ‘Nd why’s that bad?” He nudged her nose with his. “I’d hope my employees like working with me. What kind of a person would I be if I thrived on them being miserable?”           “Because if I didn’t, quitting would be easy.” She raised her eyebrow at him. “And if I quit there’d be nothing stopping us from dating.”           Harry bit his lip, finger trailing along her cheekbone. “There’s nothing stopping us now either. There is no clause in your contract that says you can’t date people who you work for or with. Sarah’s with Mitch, and they’re the happiest they’ve ever been. They’re even having a baby…”           Y/N gave him a sympathetic smile. “I know. But that’s different. They’re on equal levels. You and I, however… I don’t want people to think I got my job because I slept with you, or some shit. It’s bad enough some already do so.”           His brows furrowed, and Y/N saw how his jaw clenched. “Who?”           “Strangers.” She shrugged. “I know you don’t look at comments like that online, but I see them. My DMs are filled with that. Gossip magazines. The point is – there are already unsubstantiated rumours about us. This would give them the confirmation they’d need.”           “How can it confirm something that’s not true?”           “There are still people who believe vaccines cause autism. Even when their ‘proof’ has been discredited and shown to be just complete bullshit, most don’t like to admit they’re wrong, so they’ll look for whatever tells them they’re right.”           Harry huffed throwing his head back to look at the ceiling. “So, where does that leave us? In love, but without being able to do anything about it? Because I can’t.” He shook his head. “I won’t be able to just pass you by without kissing you, or not pull you into the bed when you wake me up, or press you against the wall and not have my head between these two gorgeous legs.”           Y/N groaned slapping his chest and dropping her forehead against his peck. “That is so unfair. Why do you have to tease me like that!”           “Oh, sweetheart.” The rumble was deep and shot a wave of heat straight to her core. “This is no teasing.” The smirk on his face when she looked up at him was shit-eating. “Trust me, if I was teasing, you’d be begging for me.”           She’d imagined him between her thighs more times than it was appropriate considering he was her boss, but hot damn, did it feel amazing when his lips crashed onto hers, and she let him. In her dreams, his lips hadn’t been just pressed to her mouth but other places which were more south, but it was still one of the best feelings in the world.           The kiss left them both breathless, and grinning and satisfied, yet begging for more, teeth nipping at the soft flesh.           “I’ll put out an official statement, if you want,” Harry muttered against her mouth, unable to stop pecking her lips now that’d he’d gotten a taste. “But please, please, please… for both our sanities go out on a date with me.”           It seemed like Y/N was the one contemplating the best plan of action now when her brows furrowed and she looked up at him, pressing and unpressing her lips, as the swelling from the kiss grew. “Did you by any chance have a piece of that omelette already?” She had a suspicion it wasn’t just from the kiss.           His eyes widened, and then his head dropped to her shoulder. “Not again!”           Y/N rolled her eyes lifting his face by the chin so he would look at her. “How about EpiPen first?”           “Fair enough,” Harry grumbled unlatching himself from her and going for his keys and wallet, already preparing for the short drive they’d have to take. “But then a date?”           She raised her eyebrow, taking out the box Harry now kept under the sink with at least three EpiPen’s for emergencies. “In a hospital?”           “We could be going dumpster diving for all I care, and I’d count it as a date.”           Y/N rolled her eyes. “You’ll have to do so much better than that; you’ve almost put me in anaphylactic shock twice. Now come on.” She motioned with her head towards the bathroom. “Stab me and take me to the ER.”           “Fucking tomatoes,” Harry grumbled, taking her by the hand and not letting it go even for the short walk.           “Tomato-tomato, you’re the one that kissed me.”           “That I don’t regret.”           Y/N smiled, turning towards him, and taking him by the nape of his neck pulled Harry down for one more kiss, groaning at the feeling of his tongue dancing against hers.           “Y/N!” He pulled back with a gasp, shock on his face.           She just shrugged her shoulders. “We’re already going to see the doctors anyway.”           Harry pushed her shoulder and made her sit down onto the toilet. “Take your pants off before my kisses kill you.”           “Yes, daddy.” Y/N wiggled her eyebrows as Harry moaned, squeezing her calf.            His eyes were dark as he looked up at her. “Next time this happens, you’ll be begging me.”           Her wicked smile was so full of happiness he couldn’t help the one that grew on his face. “I’ll be keeping you to it. Now, dear sir.” She handed him the EpiPen. “Hit me with your best shot.”           And although it’d been now two times in their lives where Harry trying to do something good and make the other feel just as good had done pretty much the opposite, when they got to the emergency room, their smiles could be felt even under their masks           Harry watched with blushing cheeks as Y/N explained the situation to the nurse, especially when one of them threw him an unsavoury glance, eyebrow raised high as if saying ‘again? One time wasn’t enough?’.           “No more tomatoes.” He promised. “And also - it wasn’t on purpose!”           Y/N squeezed his palm, chuckling. She may not be able to give a shot at eating a tomato, but she sure as hell was going to give Harry one. After all, she had almost died for the man. Twice.

Tags (crossed out wouldn’t take):

Harry Styles tags: @breezykpop​ @girlboss99​ @harrystylesdoesntknowiexist​ @alliyjane​ @sirtommyholland​ @raylovessarcasm @just-here-to-escape-from-reality @harryhub​

Everything tags: @lumelgy @palaiasaurus64 @supernaturalbaesduh @breezy1415 @crazy--me @thatawkwardlittlefangirl @sea040561 @staryeyedgirl @deathbyarabbit @s-c-a-r-e-d-po-t-t-e-r @reblogger-not-a-blogger @m-a-t-91 @dalilx @i-need-a-hero-i-need-a-loki @maladaptive-ninja-returns @averyrogers83 @in-the-end-im-still-trash @gallifreyansass @dewy-biitch @avxgers @unlikelygalaxygiver @magicwithaknife​ @ollyoxenfrees​ @bnhvrdy​ @tvwhoresblog @celebsimagines @thatkindofgurl​ @sj-thefan​ @teenwolflover28 @lestersglitterglue​ @im-squished​

A/N: I’m at work and I wanted to write a bit for my book, but hahahahahahaha I can’t stop procrastinating. Also, this was something comepletely else centered around Christmas, then New Year and the Valentines, but I just couldn’t and it morphed into this. Maybe this Holiday season when it rolls around I’ll post it :D

P.S. if anyone’s had a septoplasty (repositioning of the septum) - how was it? how painful is it? kinda starting my journey towards it cause apparently I can’t breathe out of my left nostril, but I’m kinda scared ngl. I’ve read some horror stories about having holes and pieces of the cartilage fall out afterwards :/// 

P.S.S. what did ya think? my tags are always open, just drop a message if you wanna be added :)

P.S.S.S please don’t plagiarise or repost my work on other platforms (wattpad, AO3 etc)